For relatively thick paper, with each fold the paper becomes stiffer and the outer layer(s) will not stretch and thus each subsequent fold is harder.CrawfordK said:Hey, well recently I've found out at the late age of 17, that you can only fold a sheet of paper 7 times over, no matter how thin, or large the piece of paper is. Is there any scientific reasoning behind this? I can't think of anything??
turbo-1 said:Have you tried this with single-ply tissue paper? I just doubled a single ply from a Scotties tissue 8 times with no problem. Tissues are small. If the sheet was larger or if the sheet was thinner, it would have been easy to get more folds in.
The 7-Fold Paper Dilemma is a scientific puzzle that involves folding a piece of paper in half, then in half again, and so on for a total of seven times. The question is whether it is possible to fold a piece of paper in half seven times, as it seems to become increasingly difficult with each fold.
Yes, there is a limit to how many times a piece of paper can be folded. According to calculations, the maximum number of times a piece of paper can be folded in half is around 7-8 times, depending on the thickness and size of the paper. Beyond this, the paper becomes too thick to fold without breaking or tearing.
The difficulty in folding a piece of paper more than 7 times is due to the exponential increase in the number of layers. Each time the paper is folded in half, the number of layers doubles, making it thicker and harder to fold. By the 7th fold, the paper is already 128 layers thick, which is difficult to fold without breaking or tearing.
While a larger or thinner piece of paper may be easier to fold more times, it still follows the same exponential increase in the number of layers. Therefore, it is unlikely that the 7-Fold Paper Dilemma can be solved with a larger or thinner piece of paper.
The 7-Fold Paper Dilemma may seem like a simple puzzle, but it has practical applications in fields such as mathematics, engineering, and material science. Understanding the limitations of folding and the behavior of materials under stress can help in designing and building structures that can withstand stress and pressure.