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New NCERT textbook · Class 8 Maths

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Chapter 2 · Period 1 of 12 · 45 min

Fold, Observe, Record: Meeting Exponential Growth

Experiencing the Power Play · Inductive

Build explicitly on the doubling pattern students observe in the folding experiment before connecting it to the table — the physical sensation of resistance after a few folds anchors the abstraction. Watch for students who add a fixed number to each row instead of multiplying by 2; ask them to re-examine the relationship between consecutive thickness values. Example 2, section 2.1 p.20 offers an additional numeric illustration of the doubling rule that you may walk advanced students through independently.

0–8Distribute sheets of regular paper, newspaper, and tissue. Students carry out Activity 1, p.19 ("Fold different types of paper (regular sheet, newspaper, tissue) repeatedly and record how many times each can be folded...."), working in pairs, recording the maximum fold count for each paper type on the board.
8–20Class pools results. Teacher draws out the key observation: each fold doubles the thickness. Students begin constructing the doubling sequence from 1 sheet's thickness, confirming the multiplicative pattern by successive multiplication rather than addition.
20–35Students work on Math Talk, section 2.1 p.20 ("Fill the table of paper-fold thicknesses for folds 18–26, then 27–30, then 31–45...."), filling in missing entries. Pairs share their computed values aloud, and the class debates whether the 46-fold height can really exceed the Earth–Moon distance.
35–45Brief whole-class discussion: students articulate in their own words why repeated doubling grows so much faster than repeated addition. Teacher records a one-sentence class definition of 'multiplicative growth' on the board for students to copy.
Assessment

Math Talk, section 2.1 p.20 — Fill the table of paper-fold thicknesses for folds 18–26, then 27–30, then 31–45. Observe and discuss the pattern of exponential growth.

A sheet of paper is 0.1 mm thick. After each fold its thickness doubles. What is the thickness (in mm) of the paper after 4 folds?

  • A 0.4 mm
  • B 0.8 mm
  • C 1.6 mm
  • D 3.2 mm

C. 1.6 mm

What each wrong option reveals

  • A The student multiplied 0.1 by 4 (additive thinking) instead of using the doubling rule repeatedly.
  • B The student computed 0.1 × 2³ = 0.8, applying only three doublings instead of four.
  • D The student computed 0.1 × 2⁵ = 3.2, counting one extra fold.
Chapter 2 · 12 periods of 45 min

Also saved as 7 periods or 10 periods.

  • 2Why Does Doubling Dominate? Reasoning the Growth Gap
    Experiencing the Power Play
  • 3Naming the Power: Exponential Notation and Prime Factorisation
    Exponential Notation and Operations
  • 4Laws of Exponents: Product, Power-of-Power, and Same-Base Products
    Exponential Notation and Operations
  • 5Same-Power Rules, Combinatorics, and Passwords
    Exponential Notation and Operations
  • 6Zero and Negative Exponents: Reasoning from the Division Law
    The Other Side of Powers
  • 7Power Lines and Negative Exponent Arithmetic
    The Other Side of Powers
  • 8Place Value, Decimals, and Scientific Notation
    Powers of 10
  • 9Estimation in Context: Weights, Coins, and Ladder Steps
    Did You Ever Wonder?
  • 10Large Numbers in Nature, Time, and the Cosmos
    Did You Ever Wonder?
  • 11Indian Naming Traditions and the Googol: History of Large Numbers
    A Pinch of History
  • 12Power Play in Action: Four Problems, One Chapter
    Synthesis
Ganita Prakash · Class 8 · 14 chapters

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