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| The Phantom wants to create life
sized models of atoms, and he wants your help! Help the Phantom
investigate the world of the very small by cutting a 28 centimeter
strip of paper in half as many times as you can. If you can cut
the strip of paper in half 31 times you will end up with a piece
of paper the size of an atom. |
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1 strip of paper 28 centimeters long (11"
inches)
1 pair of scissors
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 Take your strip of paper and cut it into equal halves.
Cut one of the remaining pieces of paper into
equal halves.
Continue to cut the strip into equal halves
as many times as you can.
Make all cuts parallel to the first one. When
the width gets longer than the length, you may cut off the excess,
but that does not count as a cut.
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How far did you get? Here are some comparisons
to think about!
| Cut 1 |
14.0 cm |
5.5" |
Child's hand, pockets |
| Cut 2 |
7.0 cm |
2.75" |
Fingers, ears, toes |
| Cut 3 |
3.5 cm |
1.38" |
Watch, mushroom, eye |
| Cut 4 |
1.75 cm |
.69" |
Keyboard keys, rings, insects |
| Cut 6 |
.44 cm |
.17" |
Poppy seeds |
| Cut 8 |
1 mm |
.04" |
Thread. Congratulations if your still in! |
| Cut 10 |
.25 mm |
.01" |
Still cutting? Most have quit by now |
| Cut 12 |
.06 mm |
.002" |
Microscopic range, human hair |
| Cut 14 |
.015 mm |
.006" |
Width of paper, microchip components |
| Cut 18 |
1 micron |
.0004" |
Water purification openings, bacteria |
| Cut 19 |
.5 micron |
.000018" |
Visible light waves |
| Cut 24 |
.015 micron |
.0000006" |
Electron microscope range, membranes |
| Cut 31 |
.0001 micron |
.0000000045" |
The size of an Atom! |
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 Is there anything smaller? Yes, the size of an atom
nucleus would take about 41 cuts! Scientists use advanced technology
to explore the world of electrons and quarks that are at least
9,000 times smaller than a nucleus.
We can not see anything smaller than an atom
with our eyes, even with the electron microscope. Physicists
study much smaller things without seeing them directly.
Is there an end to the quest for the smallest
and most basic elements in our world? The search began with the
Greeks and continues as scientists search for the Building Blocks
of the universe. These things are far beyond the range of sensory
perception but not beyond the range of human understanding.
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