How many times can a paper be folded?

[Kevin]

Well if you heard the line: No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.

False!

Was watching mythbusters the other night and they folded a peice of paper 11 times... But the size of the paper was a football field...

[kvnband]

Not only that - If you don't use the normal folding technique (fold, turn, fold, turn) and instead just fold fold fold you can do it.
Kevin

[catschair]

the really scary thing is with what delight I will pass on this tidbit when folks throw out the seven folds "rule"!

[Buteo]

The art of origami shows paper can be folded many times....
but it was my understanding that the 7 X rule depended on the way it was folded - specifically referring to a square sheet of paper being folded in half.
When it is folded in half, the thickness of the paper after the 7th fold prevents futher folds without tearing the paper on the outside.

[jimpierce7]

I just tried this morning folding in half in as many different ways as I could and if you could have gotten an eighth out of it I don't know how. I remember this one way back in physical science in high school.

[Vega]

How many people started folding paper in half after reading this???