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A4 Paper Is Too Perfect

A4 Paper Is Too Perfect

CGP Grey
2 HN recommenders · discussed 2024–2026
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About this video

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.

Why it appears in the archive

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

AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.

From the Hacker News discussion

ProllyInfamous · 2026-01 · strong rec

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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ProllyInfamous · 2026-04 · strong rec

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

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jihadjihad · 2026-01 · rec

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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xanth · 2024-02 · reference

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]

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bogtog · 2024-04 · reference

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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