August 2019
Problem of the Month
The Envelope Problem
Mr. P often writes a business letter on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper, then folds it in "thirds" and places it in a business envelope.
He doesn't actually measure where his first fold would be; he just approximates it. If a business envelope measures 9 1/2" x 4 1/8",
how far up from the bottom of the page should he make his fold to ensure that the paper will fit in the envelope? The optimal length would
be 3.66" but he wants to know the range of values that would allow the paper to fit in the envelope.