So, there I am at work, waiting for my burrito to heat in the microwave, and the electronic mail scale nearby captures my attention. I ask myself: “How much does my hand weigh?” I put my hand on the scale. the numbers fluctuate so rapidly that I suspect I am putting more pressure on it than just gravity.

I hold my wrist and plop my hand back on the scale. It registers anywhere between .5 lb to 1.5 lb. I let go of my wrist and it goes up past 3 lb. I ask myself: “Am I weighing my whole arm?” But I’d expect my arm to weigh more than three pounds.

Problem: how can I accurately weigh my hand without cutting it off? A question for the ages. for the sages. for the microphages. Maybe not that last group, they just eat bad things and don’t care about my hand one way or the other.

I asked google how much a hand weighs and it came up with many other interesting questions: how much does guilt weigh? how much does the sky weigh? how much does a prayer weigh? How much does a paint job weigh? No answer to the original question.

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