Answer & explanation
The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.
Answer & explanation
Official answer
5,300,000
packets
How to estimate it
Fermi’s official “Napkin math”
An Olympic pool holds about 660,000 gallons. How much Jell-O does one box make? Two cups, and a gallon is 16 cups, so 8 boxes fill a gallon.
- Pool volume
- ~660,000 gal
- Boxes per gallon
- × 8
- 660,000 × 8
- ≈ 5,300,000
An Olympic pool holds about 2.5 million liters. How much Jell-O does one packet make? Around half a liter, so 2 packets per liter.
- Pool volume
- ~2,500,000 L
- Packets per liter
- × 2
- 2,500,000 × 2
- ≈ 5,000,000
Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.
Source calculation & reference
- Olympic pool volume
- ≈ 660,000 gal (2,500,000 L)
- One 3 oz box makes 4 half-cup servings
- ÷ 2 cups (0.47 L)
- 2,500,000 ÷ 0.47
- ≈ 5,300,000 packets
Reference cited by Fermi: Kraft Heinz Jell-O package directions (3 oz box, four 1/2-cup servings) · World Aquatics competition pool dimensions
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