Monarch Butterflies How Many Paper Clips Bend a Branch the Way Monarchs Do? One day at recess Mrs. McGehee's students tried the paper clip test. They have been studying measurement in class and knew that a paper clip weighed approximately 1 gram. They estimated that the branch would bend at between 250 - 500 paper clips. “At 310 paper clips the branch, which we considered a medium size branch, began to bend. Nikki was the closest estimate at 320 paper clips,” they said. Great job! So, if the typical monarch weighs 500 mg, how many monarchs could bend the same branch? Mrs. McGehee's students in Illinois     Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2019 Journey North. All rights reserved.