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

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TEDEd Animation

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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.

Paenza says, “Folding a piece of Bible paper 45 times, we get to the moon. And if we double it one more time, we get back to Earth.” Does this surprise you? Why or why not? Does it make the great distance between the Earth and the moon any more comprehensible? What other expressions have you heard that help you get a good sense of scale and distance (like the distance from the Earth to the moon)?

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Adrian Paenza
  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Artist Celeste Lai
  • Animator Franz Palomares
  • Narrator Adrian Paenza

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