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Fine, then.  If you were to go out on a normal day, not in zero gravity, and take a pound of feathers and a pound of gold, which would be heavier?
sorry, but if you ask trick questions I reserve the right to provide trick answers.
I wouldn't call it a trick question.
red chamber dream
Clarify what you mean by "heavier". They certainly weigh the same.
One shall stand, one shall ball.
They do and they don't, I guess I should spoiler this so...

Precious metals, such as gold, are apparently weighed in TROY pounds which weigh less than "normal pounds" for some reason or another. I don't know how many people would know that off the top of their head though.


It's kind of a trick question.
In that sense it would be like measuring one of them with different units, like ounces. They still weigh the same.
Quote from tomatobob:
Precious metals, such as gold, are apparently weighed in TROY pounds which weigh less than "normal pounds" for some reason or another. I don't know how many people would know that off the top of their head though.

Right!  cookie
red chamber dream
Quote from BioSpark:
In that sense it would be like measuring one of them with different units, like ounces. They still weigh the same.


Bingo. Plus, he asked which is heavier, not which weighs more. They're equally heavy no matter how you look at it.
One shall stand, one shall ball.
Quote from BioSpark:
In that sense it would be like measuring one of them with different units, like ounces. They still weigh the same.


I don't pretend to understand it, that's just the only solution besides "they're equal" that I've heard of.
That was more directed at gamma_metroid for still being wrong. :/
One shall stand, one shall ball.
I kinda figured, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to make it clear that it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either.
Time bomb set get out fast!
So I just read a Batman story involving the Riddler.  (Legends of the Dark Knight 109-111, for the record.)  Most of his riddles are answered immediately, as usual, but there's one that trails off.  He's just instructed his goons to imprison a former moll of his for later disposal, and he says "Sorry, cutie.  I kinda liked you.  But like the dog that licked the potato...." 

It was probably left unfinished because the answer's rude or something.  All I know is Google isn't helping.  Anybody know this one?

(Interesting to see that discussion of troy pounds above.  I've run into it before in one of DB Sommer's excellent Azumanga Daioh vignettes.)
Edit history:
Zeke: 2016-12-23 03:29:57 am
Time bomb set get out fast!
Bumping this ancient thread because I actually found the answer to my post above... sorta. It occurred to me that, this being the future, I could just write the author (Steve Englehart) and ask him. And he answered -- but all he said was "Man was not meant to know..."
Something like having been burned once before alluding to the toxicity of potatoes?
red chamber dream
no, i'm sure the author meant he never thought of a real answer to the joke. that's a pretty common writing technique. it can be whatever you want it to be ;)