Can you fold a piece of paper more than seven times?

joe star · Post #21by **joe star** » 12.11.2004, 16:52

haha here'z a thought 2 consider........u guyz nvr mentioned wt d paper iz made of. I heard therez sum super light & flexible solid made of gas or sumthin.....(dun ask me!!! i dun knoe much ov it!!!). Anywayz im sure paper made from dat stuff sure can be folded more than 7, 8 or even 9 times. Silly idea huh?

Post #22by **t00fri** » 12.11.2004, 17:46

Here is another impressive (and not unrealistic!) example of 2^n power growth that might be deceptive due to its slow start:

++++++++++++++
Suppose we learn that the number of people infected with a new deadly virus doubles every month.
++++++++++++++

Well,

1 -> 2 4 8 16 32 .......4096

after one year.

It looks deceptively as if there was hope...

However, after 2 years we have already:

16 777 216

almost 17 Millions of infected people!!!!
And after 3 years, there is no-one left to pray...

68 719 476 736

Bye Fridger

PS: The number of AIDS-positive people actually grows in this fashion. Fortunately, eventually the growth is damped due to various factors...

Cham · Post #23by **Cham** » 12.11.2004, 19:08

t00fri wrote:PS: The number AIDS-positive people actually grows in this fashion. Fortunately, eventually the growth is damped due to various factors...

Yeah, that reminds me the calculation of the energy density of vacuum, in quantum fields theory.

Integrate[w^3, {w, 0, Infinity}] = Infinity.

And someone come along saying we must introduce some cut-off at the Planck lenght. Geez!

ziggy · Post #24by **ziggy** » 17.11.2004, 20:12

Quote "No matter how hard you try, you can not fold a piece of paper in half more than seven times."
I folded a piece of paper in half ten times, hardly trying at all, but then I got bored, the secret is to unfold it each time or else it gets much too thick, or is it me.

Michael Kilderry · Post #25by **Michael Kilderry** » 18.11.2004, 05:13

Unfolding the piece of paper just skips the point entirely, but I guess that is the secret to it.

Michael Kilderry

ziggy · Post #26by **ziggy** » 19.11.2004, 01:12

Michael,
I have not skipped the point at all, on the contrary, I have disproved your actual statement in order to demonstrate that, as this is a forum frequented by some of the mightiest intellects on the planet, keen to vie in arithmetical challenge, one must be precise in conveying the intended meaning of assertions such as the one you made. If you wished to assert that a piece of paper could not be folded into a size with a top surface area less than one hundred and twenty-eighth of its original area, then you should have said so :roll:

Michael Kilderry · Post #27by **Michael Kilderry** » 19.11.2004, 05:49

You have to understand that we aren't all the mightest interlects of the world, I am not about to write something I can barely understand myself such as "A piece of paper could not be folded into a size with a top surface area less than one hundred and twenty-eighth of its original area"

Michael Kilderry

TERRIER · Post #28by **TERRIER** » 19.11.2004, 21:35

Take a look at this...
http://www.osb.net/Pomona/12times.htm

It seems there's money to be made in this paper folding malarkey !

wcomer · Post #29by **wcomer** » 20.11.2004, 22:47

Thats a great result. So given the Pomona equation, we can set a definitive limit once and for all. If every atom in the universe were laid end-to-end and labeled "a sheet of paper". This "sheet of paper" could be folded in half at most 133 times.

Perhaps Michael's signature should read, "No matter how many times you think you can fold a piece of paper in half and it is impossible to fold it more, somebody will be able to fold it more times than you. Unless you have folded the paper 133 times, in which case you live in an origami universe."

Post #30by **t00fri** » 20.11.2004, 23:13

wcomer wrote:Thats a great result. So given the Pomona equation, we can set a definitive limit once and for all. If every atom in the universe were laid end-to-end and labeled "a sheet of paper". This "sheet of paper" could be folded in half at most 133 times.

Perhaps Michael's signature should read, "No matter how many times you think you can fold a piece of paper in half and it is impossible to fold it more, somebody will be able to fold it more times than you. Unless you have folded the paper 133 times, in which case you live in an origami universe."

I find Britney's photo

"Photo of the 11th Fold, One More to go."

slightly more interesting than the Pomona equation ;-)

.

She definitely looks "wide-awake"...

[I will leave that photo where it is in order to prevent being accused once more of harassing that clever girl.]

Bye Fridger

Michael Kilderry · Post #31by **Michael Kilderry** » 21.11.2004, 03:58

Personally I think I wil change my siganture to something different, this whole paper folding thing is giving me a headache.

Michael Kilderry

TERRIER · Post #32by **TERRIER** » 21.11.2004, 14:17

Michael Kilderry wrote:Personally I think I wil change my siganture to something different, this whole paper folding thing is giving me a headache.

Michael Kilderry

Yes, just be boring like me and a few others, and put in your system specifications instead !

I think the first signiture I had here was something to do with Yorkshire Puddings

Guest · Post #33by **Guest** » 16.12.2004, 19:13

I was told in school that if you could fold a piece of paper 22 times, the resulting thickness would be from here to the Moon.

Cham · Post #34by **Cham** » 16.12.2004, 19:29

If a sheet of paper has a thickness of, say, t = 1/100 of a millimeter, which is 10^(-5) meter, then folding 22 times (without air between each part) gives a final thickness T equal to

T = t * 2^(22) = 42 meters.

This is far less than distance to the moon. Even with some air between the parts, and a thickness t ten times bigger (1/10 mm), it will gives T about 1 kilometer, not much more.

Bob Hegwood · Post #35by **Bob Hegwood** » 16.12.2004, 23:54

TERRIER wrote:I think the first signiture I had here was something to do with Yorkshire Puddings

Just thought I'd let you know that my 82 year old momma
STILL makes Yorkshire pudding for me on special occasions.

I LOVE the stuff with gravy. :lol:

Thanks, Bob

Michael Kilderry · Post #36by **Michael Kilderry** » 17.12.2004, 08:53

TERRIER wrote:
Yes, just be boring like me and a few others, and put in your system specifications instead !

I have actually changed my signature to a link to my forum. It's good for advertising!

TERRIER · Post #37by **TERRIER** » 24.12.2004, 18:52

Bob Hegwood wrote:Just thought I'd let you know that my 82 year old momma
STILL makes Yorkshire pudding for me on special occasions.

I LOVE the stuff with gravy.

Wow, I hope my mam is still making Y.P's 13 years from now!

But if you thought Yorkshire puddings were only for eating then think again, just take a look at this;

http://www.yorkshirepudding.co.uk/

http://www.theshed.co.uk/independent.html :lol:

merry xmas,
TERRIER

Bob Hegwood · Post #38by **Bob Hegwood** » 24.12.2004, 18:58

TERRIER wrote:But if you thought Yorkshire puddings were only for eating then think again, just take a look at this;

Terrier,

You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME... :lol:

Would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it. What an
unbelievable world we live in.

By the way, I e-mailed Harald with your web site's URL. Any objections
to having it listed on the Motherlode?

Thanks, Bob

TERRIER · Post #39by **TERRIER** » 30.12.2004, 19:18

Bob Hegwood wrote:

By the way, I e-mailed Harald with your web site's URL. Any objections
to having it listed on the Motherlode?

Thanks, Bob

None what so ever,
I actually update it once a week !

Harry · Post #40by **Harry** » 30.12.2004, 20:52

TERRIER wrote:
Bob Hegwood wrote: By the way, I e-mailed Harald with your web site's URL. Any objections to having it listed on the Motherlode?
None what so ever, I actually update it once a week !

OK, I've added it, but I've noticed that it only works with "INDEX.html" - is this intentional, or should "http://terriercelestia.sphosting.com/" work too (this currently gives a directory listing)? BTW, do you want to have your mailadress listed too?

(if anybody else wants to have information about homepage or e-mail listed/removed/changed on the Motherlode, please contact us via the feedback form)

Harald

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Can you fold a piece of paper more than seven times?

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