Brightest_Kidz: A Place 2 Learn

Here's a neat trick that is both funny and scientific. Did you know that it is impossible to fold any piece of paper more than nine times> You scoff? It's true! 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.

• 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.

  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!

From: Yucky Discovery