Posted by Halmyre on 10/02/07 07:30

In article <fdrnc7$mi8$1@stable.tornevall.net>,
johnwilliamson@btinternet.com says...
> Bob Myers wrote:
> > "Richard Crowley" <rcrowley@xp7rt.net> wrote in message
> > news:13g11vn3e4ksc08@corp.supernews.com...
> >> Which weighs more: one 8-pound sack, or eight 1-pound sacks?
> >> Yes, it is a trick question, but you are the master of trick questions.
> >
> > Or we might ask our boy Radium this one:
> >
> > Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of
> > gold? ;-)
> >
> >
> Errm...
> 1 troy ounce (Gold) = 1.09714 imperial ounces (Feathers)
> 12 Troy ounces = 1 Troy pound (Gold)
> 16 ounces = 1 pound (Feathers)
>
> 1 (troy) pound Gold = 0.822857 pounds (Imperial) feathers
>
> Sorry to be picky...;-)
>
>

There's a bit in one of Richard Feynmann's books where he's talking
about borrowing the US's silver reserves to make generator windings for
the Manhattan Project during WW2. The Treasury agreed to the request,
but took offence for being asked for several tons of silver, pointing
out that "we actually measure silver in ounces"...

--
Halmyre

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