Brain Teasers
Cut 'n' Paste
Science
Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.Science
This one is a "mental" exercise - don't use paper and scissors - just imagine in your mind:
Take a sheet of paper - any size that you happened to have (remember, just imagine this paper). Now fold this sheet of paper in half and now fold it in half again, at right angles to the first fold. Now you have four thicknesses of paper. Now imagine you use scissors and cut through all four thicknesses, right down the middle of the paper, parallel to the first fold you made. Now, imagine, how many pieces of paper do you have now? Don't get paper and scissors to solve this one - try to picture this in your mind!
Take a sheet of paper - any size that you happened to have (remember, just imagine this paper). Now fold this sheet of paper in half and now fold it in half again, at right angles to the first fold. Now you have four thicknesses of paper. Now imagine you use scissors and cut through all four thicknesses, right down the middle of the paper, parallel to the first fold you made. Now, imagine, how many pieces of paper do you have now? Don't get paper and scissors to solve this one - try to picture this in your mind!
Answer
You will have 3 pieces of paper after the cut. It won't matter which direction you make the cut with the scissors - you'll end up with 3 pieces of paper. Don't believe it? Now go get the paper and scissors and actually do this - you'll see!Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
An enjoyable, quick mental exercise - thanks!
For some reason i ended up with 5
i folded it 3 times. Duh!
When do we paste them?
How cute. I was sure there would be only 2. Aren't we predictable?
Yay, I got it! (maybe I should do more of this sort...)
I got a paper cut in my head, and was unable to complete the exercise.
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE TEASERS, and i got it out. THANKS!!
i did not get it
Thanks, real thought provoking. I am sitting here are my desk, folding my hands together continously simulating folding the paper. I must look pretty silly.
Son of a gun! You're right! This is definitely one of my favorites!
wow. i thought "2, duh." well.... i never said i was good at visualazations. good teaser tho.
i still dont get it
WOW!!! That is sooo cool!
good one!
Wooo! I found that quite easy but still really fun. More visualisation puzzles please!
I'm with bookworm and jimbo, I guessed 2. Will definitely have to try this one. Fun teaser.
Very elementary.Sorry.
It's about me and my imagination... We arrived at 6 And we feel pretty inept
I liked this one. I thought it would be two, but when I made the first fold with a real piece of paper I realized it would be three. Thanks
O M G I LOVED THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!
I was like "drussel3" "folding" my hands and imagining cutting the paper. But, I couldn't "unfold" the paper in my mind to count the pieces...
grrr. i got it wrong. i was thinking 8.
I found it quite easy though fun! I loved it! Please make more!
I'm already "mental" and you give me a mental teaser. I'm like the other person with the paper cut on the brain. I could only come up with two pieces, until I used the real paper.
Monday~
Monday~
Eek. I said none because I was supposed to be "imagining" the paper, so there wouldn't really be any. I just figured it was a trick teaser...woops
Very easy, no paper was harm during the exercise
Mind can play tricks on us. In this one, people will actually fold it in their minds. After the cutting part, they either remember you mention 4 and will think of automatically 8 , or they will suspect a trick and will fold the paper again. This time, guessing they are smart enough, they will say: "it is just one piece of paper, so if you cut it in the middle you will get two pieces". Logical!!!
But if you think of it different, thinking on folds instead, it is easier: the paper has two folds.One fold will make 1 sheet into 2. Another fold will make 2 sheets into 4. If you cut half that, you are splitting only one fold, leaving the other. You end up with four sheets, two with one fold, another two with another fold and four with two. Unfolding releases 4 to 1, and 2 to 1. Three pieces.
Humm, I guess it is easier looking at it....
Mind can play tricks on us. In this one, people will actually fold it in their minds. After the cutting part, they either remember you mention 4 and will think of automatically 8 , or they will suspect a trick and will fold the paper again. This time, guessing they are smart enough, they will say: "it is just one piece of paper, so if you cut it in the middle you will get two pieces". Logical!!!
But if you think of it different, thinking on folds instead, it is easier: the paper has two folds.One fold will make 1 sheet into 2. Another fold will make 2 sheets into 4. If you cut half that, you are splitting only one fold, leaving the other. You end up with four sheets, two with one fold, another two with another fold and four with two. Unfolding releases 4 to 1, and 2 to 1. Three pieces.
Humm, I guess it is easier looking at it....
i only had 2 pieces..
i tried it again...i got 3 this time
I only got 2 in my head, but 3 in the real world. Very good teaser.
I got it and then checked with a piece of paper
That single piece with two folds took some thought.
I Liked This. Fun and Different
& a Degree of Challenge to It.
Thanks for Posting
That single piece with two folds took some thought.
I Liked This. Fun and Different
& a Degree of Challenge to It.
Thanks for Posting
By the By he said 4 Thicknesses
of Paper not 4 Pieces so you have to read closely & pay attention.
Not misleading at All.
of Paper not 4 Pieces so you have to read closely & pay attention.
Not misleading at All.
fun and easy teaser... i got the answer on the first mental fold... if you fold the paper once and cut parallel to the fold you get 3, and by folding twice, you cut parallel to one of the folds regardless of which center you cut down
Neat-O, thanks! I thought with one cut you couldn't end up with an odd number or more than 2 ... so I thought (confidently) the answer had to be 2 ... what's so hard about that? I was really surprised to find 3 pieces of papaer in my hand. I'm usually very good at this sort of thing.
Okay so I finally got it... The wording was a little confussing. The folding at the right angle thingy. I think you should of said simply fold it in half, and then fold it in half again. But still a wonderful teaser. Thanks.
A great, brain-twisting teaser! I have creases in my gray matter from this one!
Willymapo, what in the world are you talking about?
Actually, the answer is a little misleading...it says no matter which direction you cut the paper it will be three pieces. Only if all the cuts are parallel to the folds...if not, you can cut from one folded side to another, and end up with only two pieces of paper.
Very cute. I think I may have done hand actions while thinking though
I now have 503 sheets of paper. I was folding and cutting the last sheet of paper out of my printer. Before I finished my cut, my wife got home from Wal-Mart and handed me a 500 sheet pack of printer paper.
dsjt ^
boy do i feel dumb now! i thought i was good at visualization
I got the right answer to the original problem, but technically the added comment is wrong.
it is possible to make one cut and get four pieces. The cut is not parallel to an edge, but one cut through all 4 pieces is made.
To prove this, you cut from the point of pape that all of the folds meet across the paper at an angle.
Just being pedantic here.
it is possible to make one cut and get four pieces. The cut is not parallel to an edge, but one cut through all 4 pieces is made.
To prove this, you cut from the point of pape that all of the folds meet across the paper at an angle.
Just being pedantic here.
Mar 27, 2012
OOOHHHH...!!! I thought its answer is,"you will have no piece of paper because it's just imagination".....
i got it right
3 pieces of paper and its 11th year on briangle. Is this one worn out yet?
Somehow I ended up with 37...?
Ohh hang on. You said scissors. I thought you said document shredder.
Ohh hang on. You said scissors. I thought you said document shredder.
Knowing my limitations on visualizing, I skipped right to the comments and had a whole heap o' fun!
Thisis the first time I've seen this one. Very nice. It is easy for geometry buffs, or good spatial thinkers. It could be quite challenging for folks who don't typically think that way. It adds terrific variety to the teaser collection.
A simple extension to the puzzle: where do you need to cut to get three identical pieces of paper?
How can you cut the paper to be left with 2, 4, or even 5 pieces?
A simple extension to the puzzle: where do you need to cut to get three identical pieces of paper?
How can you cut the paper to be left with 2, 4, or even 5 pieces?
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