How Can You Fold a Piece of Paper More Than Seven Times?

Imagine you have a big sheet of paper. When you fold it once, it gets two layers thick. Fold it again, and now four layers are stacked together.

At first, folding is easy. But soon, the stack becomes so tall that your hands get tired trying to squish it flat. Also, each time you fold, the paper creates a crease or curve at the bend. This curve needs extra room.

For normal printer paper, seven folds is like a wall that is too high and too wide for you to hold. The middle part gets crushed, and the outside gets too tight.

But here is the fun part! If you use a giant piece of paper, like one from a warehouse, or if you fold it in the other direction (sideways), you can get more folds. Even kids have done it with toilet paper rolls!