Which is heavier: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

How to think about it

1. Your mind pictures a fluffy pile of feathers and a heavy stack of bricks and leans toward the bricks.
2. Now read the question as written: a pound of each.
3. A pound is a unit of weight. A pound of anything weighs exactly one pound.
4. The two weigh the same, so neither is heavier.

Why “Neither” is the answer

Both items weigh one pound, because “a pound” is the weight, so neither one is heavier than the other. The riddle relies on the difference between weight and density: bricks are denser, so a pound of bricks is small while a pound of feathers fills a sack, but the scale reads the same. Your eyes say bricks; the units say equal.

Common wrong answers

• Bricks. A brick is heavier than a feather, but a pound of bricks and a pound of feathers both weigh one pound.
• Feathers. Some people guess this because the feathers take up more room, but volume is not weight.