FOILED BY
FOLDS
Watching your friends
fall for this simple but sinister dare is only half the fun! With math
as your secret weapon, it's a sure thing they won't be able to fold a
sheet of paper in half more than nine times! What you'll need: any
kind of paper, of any size or thickness, that can be folded in half.
What
to do:
- Challenge your
friends to fold a sheet of paper in half more than nine times!
- Be sure they divide
the paper in half evenly on each fold. They can make the folds in
any direction: along the paper's width, height, or even on a
diagonal.
What
happens:
They just can't do it!!
Why this happens:
The number
of paper layers included in a fold increases through a process called
geometric progression. You create two layers of paper with one fold,
and with two folds you create four. Your third fold will yield eight
layers, and by the time you make your seventh fold you are trying to
crease 128 separate layers of paper! So a piece of paper, regardless
of size and thickness, can't be folded in half more than nine times
since it would be like trying to fold a book!
