Braingle: 'Which weighs more?' Brain Teaser

Which weighs more?

Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.

Puzzle ID:	#195
Fun:	(2.07)
Difficulty:	(0.72)
Category:	Science
Submitted By:	Mr. G

Which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?

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Comments

djmelaza Oct 07, 2001	they both weight the same, a ton
bigpoppa327 Dec 19, 2001	aren't feathers measured differently.
cliff Apr 09, 2002	yeah bigpoppa is right feathers are measure in 12 oz pounds i think
browngold01 Apr 14, 2002	of course they weigh both the same. a "ton" is the same weight no matter what material you use
O_wise_one May 18, 2002	Aren't these supposed to be challenging?
Blizzards May 26, 2002	its not a challenge coz its under easy doh
piffle May 30, 2002	There are two different ways of measuring weight. Most things are weighed in avoirdupois weight, which has 16 ounces in a pound. However, some other things are measured in troy weight, which has 12 ounces in a pound. Also, while an advoirdupois pound weighs more than a troy pound, a troy OUNCE weighs more than an advoirdupois ounce. A troy ounce is equal to the weight of 480 grains of wheat, while an advoirdupois ounce is equal to the weight of 437.5 grains of wheat. I don't know if feathers and bricks are weighed differently though.
bluetwo Jun 03, 2002	piffle, if you know the difference between a troy and avoirupois ounce, then you should surely know that the troy system of units is used exclusively for measuring precious metals. In this case, you'd either be using the avoirdupois system or SI units (aka, metric system). FYI, 2000lbs = short ton; 1000kg = 2204.6lbs = long ton. In the US, we normally refer to the short ton when we say "one ton".
WizardMagus Jun 19, 2002	Christ...
Maz1586 Jul 03, 2002	hey that was easy thank god 4 that!
Piffle Jul 14, 2002	Ah, thank you Bluetwo for clearing that up for me. The only reference I had for that when I wrote it was a little children's encyclopedia type thing, so I wasn't really sure about all of what I wrote. Thank you.
heavenlycupcake Jul 22, 2002	it would take a lot of feathers to make it weigh a ton
rufio Sep 01, 2002	actually, hurrifend....jesus did NOT tell this one at the last supper.
Piffle Nov 17, 2002	geez sorry for asking if feathers are weighed differently than bricks. guess i won't ask questions anymore, but i didn't think i was criticizing.
jonnyonline Jan 24, 2003	i thihk that it does actually date back to around 20 BC. tribal members used to entertain each other with it.
darthforman May 25, 2005	neat, but old
drussel3 Jun 11, 2005	Oldie but goodie...
hellokitty593 Jul 12, 2005	That's a lot of feathers!
nkatha23 Nov 09, 2005	someone asked me the same question. Nice
TURTLESrock Nov 20, 2005	this one i heard before i was stupid and i said bricks
pinkyjr Dec 21, 2005	Sorry, but that's really easy
Angelli Jan 29, 2006	yah, too easy but i liked it
mpspss Feb 19, 2006	I have heard that way too many times before.
keveffect1 Feb 22, 2006	A funny classic but I've heard this one a thousand times
blackmarket69 Feb 22, 2006	i think that a horse weighs less than a platypus because platypusses are so beastly.
Methlos Mar 12, 2006	could have ben a metric tonne of an imperial ton if you said it
coltonr1 Mar 15, 2006	that was way to ez now cmon that waz horible it's suposed to be chalnging that was defently not a ez!
coltonr1 Mar 15, 2006	omg so old and bad think think think what players will say be4 u make the teaser or it mite efect what players say about it!
charles445 Mar 19, 2006	I love it!
kashby Apr 13, 2006	that was funny!! I loved it!! Great 1!! keep em' coming!!
tca2 May 03, 2006	How Old Is This?
spazzyjazzy93 May 07, 2006	Sure its old, but i still love it! what's this have to do with science?
username2009 May 21, 2006	ok, i just wanna say that it doesn't matter what kind of ton you're using, n it doesn't matter if feathers n bricks are measured differently. a normal human being doesn't think about a brain teaser THAT much; IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S JUST A BRAIN TEASER!!!!!!!!! IT'S WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT FOR FUN!!!!!! and if what you do for fun is ANALYZE brain teasers, than you need to GET A LIFE!!!!!!!! seriously-WHO CARES if feathers are measured differently than bricks? WHO CARES about how many different kinds f tons there are? now, for whoever the hell piffle and bluetwo are, IT'S JUST A FRICKEN BRAIN TEASER!!!!!!!!! IT'S MEANT FOR FUN!!!!!!!!! NOT FOR "oh, but there are TWO KINDS of tons, so this makes no SENSE" you know what? A TON IS A TON!!!!!!! i mean, who knows? MAYBE THERE ARE JUST A HELL OF A LOT MORE OF ONE THAN THE OTHER!!!!!!! my GOD!!!! takes a deep breath ...ok...i'm fine now...oh, and about the riddle in general-a classic! yeah, it was easy-for those who haven't heard it before. actually, i think it's easier when you can see it, cuz then you can study it, whereas just hearing it can trick you more. good on,e though! n congrats on not yelling at any of these analytical freaks like i did, on just taking their crap! i know i couldn't've done it (obviously, lol)! good job!
RRAMMOHAN May 27, 2006	Easy stuff! Lets enjoy teasers instead of going too technical about them. I thought it was a straight-forward question.
Vudluxi May 28, 2006	Which weighs more, an imperial ton of golden kitchen scales or a metric ton of plastic and steel bathroom scales? I'd say the bathroom scales. I've yet to see the kitchen scales that could weigh my fat behind.
(user deleted) Jun 12, 2006	feathers are weighed on a different scale which takes more to reach a pound so wrong the feathers
rtytherleigh Jun 25, 2006	I had a simaler problem at school. Which ways more... A kilo of feathers or a kilo of bricks? They are the same weight. Note. In Australia we use kilograms
Unraveled Jun 25, 2006	Username2009 - Brain teasers are supposed to challenge your brain, get it active, not just for fun. Obviously, what gets some people's brains up and about is nitpicking century old tricks. Deal with it. (What does this have to do with science? Not very sciency, more tricky)
speedqueenkmw Jul 13, 2006	an oldie but a goodie. lighten up, people
dimez_00 Aug 31, 2006	omg im so stupid....i was thinking about amount besides weight it took me like 3 mins to actually get it
vbguy101 Oct 02, 2006	That's OLD! It would've gone in the "Trick" section.
2rubystar2 Oct 25, 2006	Piffle and Bluetwo (look above at really long comments. ) You confuse me.
ChristheGreat Nov 12, 2006	Way too easy man.
coolcow35 Dec 26, 2006	Easy, but REALLY GOOD!
Jerrythellama Jan 09, 2007	oldest trick in the book =/
bgil7604 Feb 28, 2007	I've heard this before, but I still think this teaser is great.
notsosmart111 Mar 20, 2007	Arent these supposed to be hard?
azngurlsuing Mar 21, 2007	a ton of feathers
wendymc1 May 20, 2007	OK this one wasn't fair because I'd heard it before... I think if you haven't heard it, the feathers v. the bricks will throw you off. A classic teaser!
jsdodgers Oct 04, 2007	this is the oldest, easiest one in the books, EVER
Mjmoon Oct 17, 2007	But my Physics book says (when comparing a pound of bricks and a pound of feathers) "The pound of feathers weighs more. The larger buoyant force of the air acting on the volume of a pound of feathers (as the scale weighs them in air) must be compensated by more than a pound of feathers (as weighed in a vacuum) to achieve the same scale reading of one pound."
uhhhh Apr 22, 2008	This should be in te trick section.
j-me Apr 24, 2008	The feathers because the bricks are on the moon.
Ilite Oct 14, 2008	My brain took half a second to get that.
shina96 Jul 01, 2009	it was ok still funny though
crocodile Aug 11, 2010	This should be a trick.
luluw5 Dec 05, 2011	I think they should both way the same, who cares if its measured differently, a ton is a ton goddamit!
luluw5 Dec 05, 2011	Bluetwo and piffle! la ferme!!!! u r ruining a perfectly good brain teaser w/ all ur sciency talk! i honnestly dnt care if there r 2 types pf tons, and i dnt wanna no bout it!!!!!!! 8 - [
luluw5 Dec 05, 2011