How many folds can you make?
You will need a large sheet of paper (like the outside sheet of a newspaper).

• Double it over (fold it in half). How many layers are there? Can you tear it along the fold?
  
  
• Double it again. How many layers? Can you tear it along the fold?
  
  
• Double it again. How many layers? Can you tear it along the fold?
  
  
• Keep doubling it and counting the layers. How many doubles will it take before you can’t tear it any more? How many layers of paper is that?
  
  

How far can you go?
You will need an egg carton and a bag of unpopped popcorn, dried beans, or macaroni. (The smaller the item, the farther you have to count before the cup is too full to hold the next double.)

• Put a piece of popcorn or macaroni or a bean in the first egg cup.
  
  
• Double that in the second cup (2 pieces).
  
  
• Double that in the third cup (4 pieces).
  
  
• Keep on doubling the pieces as you move from cup to cup. How far can you go before the cup is too small to hold all the pieces?
  
  

Double the money
See the section on money (Activity 13) for a real-life lesson on doubling