A kilo is a measure of mass, not wieght. A kilo of mass with no external net gravitational field is still a kilo of mass, even though it doesn't weigh anything. A pound, by comparison, is a measure of weight, which is gravity acting on mass.
A pile of feathers is less dense than a lump of lead. If you set a kilo pile of feathers on the ground, and a kilo lump of lead next to it, the center of mass of the lump of lead would be closer to the center of mass of the Earth. Now, plug that into Newton's formula for weight: g*m1*m2/d^2 and you get that the lead weighs just a teeny tiny eensy weensy miniscule little bit more. Of course, you could always change this by laying all the feathers flat and making a really tall skiny cylinder of lead or something, but I'm mostly pointing all this out to be an absurd physics geek. :-) --Ben Ray Champagne wrote: > How is that possible? > > My old Miami Vice watching days told me a kilo is a kilo...or am I missing > something? > > Ray > > At 05:23 PM 11/30/2004, you wrote: > >>All else being equal,a kilogram of lead wieghs more than a kilogram of >>feathers. Just not so much more that it'd be measurable by any means I >>can think of. >> >>--Ben ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Special thanks to the CF Community Suite Gold Sponsor - CFHosting.net http://www.cfhosting.net Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:138334 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
