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A4 Paper Is Too Perfect

CGP Grey2 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
10.5M views · explainer · evergreen · Uploaded 2021-03-26

CGP Grey explains the elegant ratio of A4 and the metric paper sizes, then zooms out across scales from the Planck length to the observable universe.

Loved for its zoom-out tour of physical scales and recommended alongside other paper-size and scale-of-the-universe discussions.

Recreational & visual mathPhysics & space (other)

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5 comments from Hacker News

@xanth2024 · in “Making a PDF that's larger than Germany”

Related CGPGrey video comparing metric paper sizes to comparable objects from the plank scale to the galactic[1]; could have been an XKCD comic [1]: [VIDEO]

CitesView on HN
@bogtog2024 · in “Scale of the Universe”

I think this Zoom in/out physics story has pretty widely been told. Here is one by CPG Grey: [VIDEO] I like the one OP linked here. All the objects being clickable with a little description is nice

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@jihadjihad2026 · in “A4 Paper Stories”

CPG Grey has a video [0] that goes into some, let's just say deeper , detail into metric paper that is well worth a watch if you haven't seen it. 0: [VIDEO]

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@ProllyInfamous2026 · in “A4 Paper Stories”

You beat me in posting this (I searched for "CGP," first — you mispelled so I didn't see your comment). ---- My favorite CGP Grey video is Metric Paper... , which explores the vast (but limited) world we live in, from plancs to observable universe. [•] < [VIDEO] > Before generative AI videos, this had been what I considered "the most psychedelic experience one can have without doing drugs ." It's still a trip ...

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@ProllyInfamous2026 · in “God Sleeps in the Minerals”

Zoom out, too: [CGP Grey - Metric Paper] < [VIDEO] > - among my favorite videos Yet even Plancks remain analogue ...

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