How can folding a paper 42 times reach the moon?

Question

How can folding a paper 42 times reach the moon?

In: Physics

Answer 1

It’s because the thickness of the paper grows exponentially. Fold it once, and its thickness is 2. Fold it twice, and its thickness is 2^2, or 4, and at three times the thickness is 2^3, or 8. So if you fold it 42 times, the thickness is 2^42, which is 4,398,046,511,104.