# Could you weight a feather? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440 "2000-02-15T20:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/1 "2000-02-15T20:16:00Z")
I have always heard the term “light as a feather” I thought I would ask the TM’s if its possible to weight a feather or a fleck of dust. If we could, what would the scales look like and what would they say? * * * “I’m the best there is Fats. Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” (Paul Newman in The Hustler) ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/2 "2000-02-15T20:20:00Z")
I have weighed a feather, using an ordinary laboratory balance scale. Some of the more sophisticated scales can weigh dust, and have to be operated in a a vacuum in order not to be thrown off by stray particles. The phrase “light as a feather” only indicates low weight, not no weight. I’m glad to see that your questions have progressed away from digusting bodily functions and secretions… ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/3 "2000-02-15T20:30:00Z")
[/quote] I have weighed a feather, using an ordinary laboratory balance scale. Some of the more sophisticated scales can weigh dust, and have to be operated in a a vacuum in order not to be thrown off by stray particles. [/quote] So what did the scale say the feather weighed? > [@](#): > > I’m glad to see that your questions have progressed away from digusting bodily functions and secretions… See? There are a few redeeming qualities in us all. * * * “I’m the best there is Fats. Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” (Paul Newman in The Hustler) ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/4 "2000-02-15T20:37:00Z")
In the lab, we regularly weigh at 4 decimal places (0.0001 g) and have equipment (for very acurate elemental analysis) which will weigh down to 6 decimal places (0.000001 g). To give you an idea, it’s hard to see whatever it is that weighs significantly less than about 100 micrograms. ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/5 "2000-02-15T20:41:00Z")
> [@](#): > > . . .possible to weight a feather. . . I kept reading that literally and puzzling over what exactly the question **was** here, visualizing a fishing weight taped to a feather. Glad to find out it wasn’t such a heavy subject after all. Ray (another load off my. . .uh. . .overtaxed (?) mind) ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/6 "2000-02-15T20:46:00Z")
## ooopss thanks for pointing that out nano that should have been “Could you weigh a feather.” “I’m the best there is Fats. Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” (Paul Newman in The Hustler) ---
**Author:** ![Geezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@Geezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geezer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/7 "2000-02-15T22:38:00Z")
Of course, if you didn’t happen to have a scale handy that can deal in the small weights involved, you could count out 100 feathers, weigh them with less sensitive instrument and then divide by 100. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/8 "2000-02-16T01:24:00Z")
Yes, you can weight a feather. Just attach a simple lead fishing weight to it. ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/9 "2000-02-16T01:43:00Z")
hahaha ohhhh Handy you sooo mean… :mad: * * * “I’m the best there is Fats. Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” (Paul Newman in The Hustler) ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/10 "2000-02-16T01:51:00Z")
I know that we have to live with our mistakes… but if I could persuade Nickrz or Manhattan to take that T from weight and change it to weigh… your T-bone steaks would be in the mail 😛 Thankee either way * * * “I’m the best there is Fats. Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” (Paul Newman in The Hustler) ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2000, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/11 "2000-02-16T14:40:00Z")
It’s been a long time, aha, so I don’t remember. If anybody out there in Straight Dope lab has access to a triple-beam scale, could you weigh a feather and let us know the results? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2000, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/12 "2000-02-17T03:19:00Z")
Sure Guy, a pound of feathers weighs as much as a pound of silver. Let me get back to you on what a pound of silver weighs. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2000, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/13 "2000-02-17T15:03:00Z")
handy: hmmmm…I seem to remember something like this from a long time ago - a brain puzzler or some such. Turns out that most precious metals weights are given in the Troy system, which is very different from the avoirdupois system. Which means that a pound of gold or silver weighs less than a pound of feathers! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/14 "2000-02-17T17:00:00Z")
Sure it was: ‘What weighs more a pound of gold or a pound of feathers?’ However, I said a pound of silver, a pound silver, pound sterling, not quite the same. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2000, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-weight-a-feather/7440/15 "2000-02-17T21:00:00Z")
… from the Encyclopedia Britannica OnLine: “The troy grain, pennyweight, and ounce have been used since the Middle Ages to weigh gold, silver, and other precious metals.”