Computes and prints out some interesting math dealing with stacking pieces of paper.

paper.py

# Pieces of Paper
#
# Take a piece of paper (roughly 0.1mm in thickness),
# double it 100 times.
from decimal import *

paper = Decimal('0.1')
total_pieces_of_paper = 1

for i in range(0, 100):
    paper *= Decimal('2')
    total_pieces_of_paper *= 2
    print('{}:   {}mm'.format(i+1, paper))
    in_meters = paper / Decimal('1000')
    if in_meters > 0.5:
        print('      {}m'.format(in_meters))
        in_km = in_meters / Decimal('1000')
        if in_km > 0.5:
            print('      {}km'.format(in_km))
            trips_to_moon = in_km / Decimal('384400') / Decimal('2')
            print('      {0:.2f} round trips to the moon'.format(trips_to_moon))
            trips_to_sun = in_km / Decimal('150000000') / Decimal('2')
            print('      {0:.2f} round trips to the sun'.format(trips_to_sun))
            size_of_galaxy = in_km / Decimal('1000000000000000000')
            print('      {0:.2f} times the size of the Milky Way'.format(size_of_galaxy))

print()
print('{} total pieces of paper'.format(total_pieces_of_paper))
total_pieces_of_paper = Decimal(total_pieces_of_paper)
war_and_peace = total_pieces_of_paper / Decimal('587287')
print('Every word in "War and Peace", {} times'.format(war_and_peace))
reams = total_pieces_of_paper / Decimal('500')
print('{} reams'.format(reams))
trees = reams / Decimal('16.67')
print('{} trees'.format(trees))

Some of the output:

• 126765060022822940149670.3205 km
• 164886914701902887.81 round trips to the moon
• 422550200076076.47 round trips to the sun
• 126765.06 times the size of the Milky Way
• 1267650600228229401496703205376 total pieces of paper
• 2535301200456458802993406411 reams
• 152087654496488230533497685.1 trees