PDA

View Full Version : Mathemagics.

T'ai Chi
26th September 2003, 12:50 AM
Anyone have any good references to magic done based on mathematical principles?
Garrette
26th September 2003, 04:52 AM
There are usually some sprinkled throughout most standard magic books, but if you want something solely or largely on that, I think (though I could be wrong) that you'll have success with one or more Karl Fulves (Fulve?) books. Look up his "Self-Working...Tricks" series. No promises, though. It's been a long while.
LFTKBS
26th September 2003, 04:27 PM
Every one of your posts, T'ai.
rustypouch
26th September 2003, 04:35 PM
I like the one in Penn and Teller's "How to Play in Traffic."

It fooled Einstein, it will fool your brainy friends too.
T'ai Chi
27th September 2003, 12:27 AM
Originally posted by LFTKBS
Every one of your posts, T'ai.

Yeah? Sweet. I've been practicing. :)

I've been reading up on tricks lately that use the 'digital root' to accomplish their effects, and also some tricks that enable you to add up several chosen 5 digit numbers in less than 5 seconds, etc. Those type of tricks.

Kinda geeky, but baffling to a lot of people.
Brown
27th September 2003, 08:25 PM
Martin Gardner (Scientific American's long-time "Mathematical Games" columnist) has written several books on magic that use math principles.
Brown
28th September 2003, 09:48 PM
The book "Scarne on Card Tricks," discussed elsewhere in the Conjuring section, includes many tricks based upon mathematical principles. Some of the principles are, in my judgment, easy to figure out (if not obvious), but some of the tricks are quite clever.
T'ai Chi
4th October 2003, 06:07 PM
I don't know what this trick is called, but a (very kind and funny!) mathematician named Edward Burger came to my university a few years ago to give some talks on mathematics. In one of the presentations, he handed out some cards. On these cards were numbers from 1 to about 60. You selected a number, kept it to yourself, and he'd ask you for the cards that number appeared on. He then instantly told you what number you selected.

I know how the trick works (not a new trick), but was wondering if anyone else knew of this trick or the name of the trick.

It is like the "Magic Cards" trick here:

http://www.10ticks.co.uk/magic.asp