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

When you fold a paper you double its thickness. If you do it 42 times you double it 42 times. That’s 2^42 which is over 4 trillion. The moon orbits Earth at about 400,000 kilometers or 4 trillion micrometers. So as long as the paper is thicker than a micrometer, it’ll theoretically reach the moon.