Skip to main content

Space Ed

How folding paper can get you to the moon - Adrian Paenza

6,299,566 Views

0 Questions Answered

Let’s Begin…

Can folding a piece of paper 45 times get you to the moon? By seeing what happens when folding just one piece of paper, we see the unbelievable potential of exponential growth. This lesson will leave you wanting to grab a piece of paper to see how many times you can fold it! Lesson by Adrian Paenza, animation by TED-Ed.

Previous

Paenza observes, “With every fold we make, the paper doubles in thickness from the previous value.” How would you express this using mathematical notation?

Save my answer
Next

About Space Ed

Space Ed helps you untangle the mysteries of space with the universe’s best videos on everything from Einstein's theory of relativity to what it would take to live on Mars. Brush up on the science, philosophy and mystery of space, because the fabric of the universe is the same fabric that connects us all.

Meet The Creators

  • Narrator Adrian Paenza
  • Animator Franz Palomares
  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Artist Celeste Lai
Certificate of Achievement

Earn a certificate

Get a certificate for completing any 30 lessons. Here's how:

  1. Make sure you are signed into your Space Ed account. Register if you don't already have an account.
  2. To complete a lesson, WATCH the video and finish all the questions in the THINK section.
  3. Complete any 30 lessons - you'll get a green checkmark on each lesson you complete.

That's it! You will get your certificate in an email.