Scrooge McDuck on a Budget

July 21, 2008 4:06 AM

Scrooge McDuck on a budget: How many dollar bills would it take to fill up an average size bathtub?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow to Work & Money (9 answers total)

If a reasonable size for a bathtub is 50"x35"x20", that's 42,000 in^3. Some quick googling (and Yahoo Answers, so take it with a grain of salt) suggests that a dollar bill is 0.09 in^3. So $466,666ish. That's assuming tight packing, though, which wouldn't be conducive to Scrooge McDuck-esque swimming. You'd also lose space to your body, if you were in the tub a la Scrooge McDuck, but that might not be relevant, since you could have a heaping bathtub of money, rather than filling it just up to the top.

So, since I can't find any information on packing crumpled bills (like you'd want for a loose, swimmable bathtub), my best guess is somewhere around $200,000. Maybe even as low as $50,000.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 4:20 AM on July 21, 2008

If you're doing the Scrooge McDuck, thing, though, wouldn't you want coins?
posted by SansPoint at 4:33 AM on July 21, 2008

Response by poster: If you're doing the Scrooge McDuck, thing, though, wouldn't you want coins?

I just think that would have to hurt. I mean, not that paper cuts are better, but...
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:48 AM on July 21, 2008

You'd probably be able to do it for around 15,000, assuming your average crumpled bill takes up three square inches, which isn't as crumpled as it sounds.
posted by bunnytricks at 4:55 AM on July 21, 2008

Grr. Cubic inches, even.
posted by bunnytricks at 5:00 AM on July 21, 2008

The size of a dollar bill is 6.6294cm (2.61") wide, by 15.5956cm (6.14") long, and 0.010922cm (0.0043") in thickness. This is 1.129 cm^3.

The size of a reasonable bathtub is 127cm x 89cm x 51cm. This is 576453 cm^3.

That is $510,590 of completely packed in dollar bills. An ideal density is probably not greater than one third as dense ($170,195) or less than one tenth as dense ($51,060) .

I would guess anywhere from 50,000 - 100,000 would work okay.
posted by wigglin at 5:03 AM on July 21, 2008

On second thought, bunnytricks is probably more right. When you crumple the bills up they take up a lot more space.

Ill say 15,000 - 50,000. Depending on how much of a budget you are on.
posted by wigglin at 5:14 AM on July 21, 2008

I would go with the higher end of wigglin's estimate, just to be sure to get the full effect. I'm sure your body will crush some down beneath you when you get in, but you still want the tub to be overflowing. Also, you better be posting pics of this in your profile or something.
posted by Grither at 5:36 AM on July 21, 2008

I don't know, but this MeFi Project seems eager to find out.
posted by webhund at 7:30 AM on July 21, 2008