I am getting a little tired of these innumeracy values, but I will throw
in one more.
I ask my students, "which weighs more, a pound of gold or a pound of
feathers?"
They laugh and tell me that it is a trick question, and that they weigh
the same.
And, I explain that yes indeed it is a trick question, and a pound of
feathers weighs more than a pound of gold. (one pound of gold weighs
equal to 0.823 pounds of feathers).
From here, we go into the importance of understanding units.
Oren Quist, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor and Head
Department of Physics
South Dakota State University