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If you fold a bit of paper 42 times, it will reach the moon

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,392
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in General Discussion #1
Wow.......
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    edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    #2
    Give it a go. NASA would save a fortune in fuel costs.
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    Billy_ValueBilly_Value Posts: 22,920
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    #3
    knowing my luck I'll fold it 43 times and miss the ****er
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    Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    #4
    But it's impossible, so not that wow.
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    maidinscotlandmaidinscotland Posts: 5,648
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    #5
    It's impossible to fold a piece of paper (no matter what size) in half more than 8 times...fact
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    Bus Stop2012Bus Stop2012 Posts: 5,624
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    #6
    maidinscotland wrote: »
    It's impossible to fold a piece of paper (no matter what size) in half more than 8 times...fact

    I can never get my head around this one, I can't understand why its so :blush::(
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    bart4858bart4858 Posts: 11,436
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    #7
    maidinscotland wrote: »
    It's impossible to fold a piece of paper (no matter what size) in half more than 8 times...fact

    Why shouldn't a bigger piece of paper work?

    However... after the final fold, the folded paper really needs to be around a million miles across. So the unfolded sheet might need to be (at a rough, probably wrong calculation) two trillion miles (1/3 light year) on a side.

    So for various other reasons, it wouldn't be practical.
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    edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    #8
    maidinscotland wrote: »
    It's impossible to fold a piece of paper (no matter what size) in half more than 8 times...fact
    Whoever decided that has obviously never used the atomic-thin toilet paper they give us at work :D
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    CryolemonCryolemon Posts: 8,670
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    #9
    maidinscotland wrote: »
    It's impossible to fold a piece of paper (no matter what size) in half more than 8 times...fact

    Didn't mythbusters do it like 11 times with a huge sheet and a forklift truck?
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    lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    #10
    Pumping Iron wrote: »
    But it's impossible, so not that wow.

    Pish. I can fold a piece of paper 42 times!
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    Tt88Tt88 Posts: 6,827
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    #11
    Cryolemon wrote: »
    Didn't mythbusters do it like 11 times with a huge sheet and a forklift truck?

    I saw it on tv, for some reason im thinking brainiac but it does sound more muthbustery. I remember them trying it with really thin paper and some kind of steamroller type thing. They tried various different methods but each one could only reach about 7 folds.
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    jjnejjne Posts: 6,580
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    #12
    lemoncurd wrote: »
    Pish. I can fold a piece of paper 42 times!

    Absolutely, I dunno what the fuss is all about. That's only 4,398,046,511,104 pieces of paper placed on top of each other.
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    lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    #13
    jjne wrote: »
    Absolutely, I dunno what the fuss is all about. That's only 4,398,046,511,104 pieces of paper placed on top of each other.

    Only if you fold it in half each time. It's only 43-deep if you concertina it.
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    _ben_ben Posts: 5,758
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    #14
    The current paper folding record stands at 13 times.
    http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2012/01/paper-folding-limits-pushed.html
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,182
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    #15
    Cryolemon wrote: »
    Didn't mythbusters do it like 11 times with a huge sheet and a forklift truck?
    Tt88 wrote: »
    I saw it on tv, for some reason im thinking brainiac but it does sound more muthbustery. I remember them trying it with really thin paper and some kind of steamroller type thing. They tried various different methods but each one could only reach about 7 folds.

    Yes, it was Mythbusters, and they folded it 11 times. YT link here
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    EmilyJEGEmilyJEG Posts: 539
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    #16
    It's a bit like the question about the penny that doubles every day for a month, or £1,000,000 - which would you prefer? It's hard to imagine a penny doubling into anything worthwhile, but by the end of the month you'd have more than £1,000,000.
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    Tess-gTess-g Posts: 29,050
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    #17
    Forgetting how many folds you can make, why would it reach the moon?
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    jrajra Posts: 48,325
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    #18
    Tt88 wrote: »
    I saw it on tv, for some reason im thinking brainiac but it does sound more muthbustery. I remember them trying it with really thin paper and some kind of steamroller type thing. They tried various different methods but each one could only reach about 7 folds.

    IIRC both Brainiac and Mythbusters did this experiment.

    You certainly can't fold any type of paper 42 times.
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    lordOfTimelordOfTime Posts: 22,372
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    #19
    Tess-g wrote: »
    Forgetting how many folds you can make, why would it reach the moon?

    I'm very tired. It shows. I've been trying to work it out. :blush::blush:
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    Tess-gTess-g Posts: 29,050
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    #20
    lordOfTime wrote: »
    I'm very tired. It shows. I've been trying to work it out. :blush::blush:
    I'm tired too, the wine doesn't help but I'm glad it's not just me that can't get their heads around one sheet of paper stretching that far!
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    bart4858bart4858 Posts: 11,436
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    #21
    Tess-g wrote: »
    Forgetting how many folds you can make, why would it reach the moon?

    Because the thickness, assuming you start with 80gsm printer paper, would be about 250,000 miles. Obviously the moon would need to be somewhere overhead to actually reach it.

    (2^42 folds gives you a 4-trillion-ply stack of paper. At 2" per ream of 500 sheets, or 250 per inch, that's 4 trillion/(63360*250) or 252,000 miles.)
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    Tess-gTess-g Posts: 29,050
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    #22
    bart4858 wrote: »
    Because the thickness, assuming you start with 80gsm printer paper, would be about 250,000 miles. Obviously the moon would need to be somewhere overhead to actually reach it.

    (2^42 folds gives you a 4-trillion-ply stack of paper. At 2" per ream of 500 sheets, or 250 per inch, that's 4 trillion/(63360*250) or 252,000 miles.)
    Seriously! :o Thank you, though you've completely blown my mind.

    I have a headache now :blush:
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    spiney2spiney2 Posts: 27,058
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    #23
    .... and 42 is also the answer to life the universe and everything .......
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    ÆnimaÆnima Posts: 38,548
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    #24
    Thickness of paper to the 42nd power... yes, that's a large number.
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    maidinscotlandmaidinscotland Posts: 5,648
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    #25
    _ben wrote: »
    The current paper folding record stands at 13 times.
    http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2012/01/paper-folding-limits-pushed.html

    Hard to tell from the video. Did they fold it in HALF each time?
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    tealadytealady Posts: 26,267
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    #26
    Ænima wrote: »
    Thickness of paper to the 42nd power... yes, that's a large number.
    you mean the thickness of the paper * 2^42 otherwise you will have a very small number.
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