The Maths Behind The Magic
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Number Lollipops
Effect
6 numbers are chosen out of a set of 12 numbers and then the audience adds them together. Whilst blindfolded, you are able to predict what this total will be.
Equipment
A blindfold, 6 number lollipops
Routine
This trick works best with an audience of 20 people or more. Ask for 6 volunteers to help you with the trick. Line all of the volunteers up in front of the audience and give each of them a number lollipop. It doesn’t matter which order the number lollipops are in, but the trick looks more impressive if the numbers appear in a random order.
Explain to the audience that there are 12 different numbers on the lollipops and get the volunteers to confirm this by showing both sides of the number lollipops to the audience. Then ask for one final volunteer from the audience. To make the explanation easier, I will name this final volunteer Anna. Ask Anna to stay in her seat and then stand next to her facing away from the 6 volunteers. Explain to the audience that Anna will be your eyes for the remainder for this trick and then ask her to blindfold you.
Now that you are blindfolded, ask the volunteers to choose one side of their number lollipop and to show that side to the audience. Now ask the audience to find the total of the 6 numbers added together. Once they are happy with their addition you ask Anna, “how many blue number lollipops are being displayed?” Whatever answer Anna gives you, in your head you should multiply this number by 6 and then add 30. The result will be the total of the 6 numbers and you can announce it out loud to the amazement of the audience.
If you really want to impress your audience, you should claim that you knew the total by listening to the whispers when they were adding up the numbers. Then repeat the trick with the audience in absolute silence and get the right answer again!
The Maths behind the Magic
This trick works because the numbers on the blue side of the lollipops are always 6 greater than the numbers on the yellow side of the lollipop. If only the yellow numbers are displayed, we already know that the total is 30. However, for every blue number that is shown in place of a yellow number, the total increases by 6.
Formats Book Details Do you enjoy magic? Do you enjoy mathematics? If the answer to either (or both) of these questions is yes, then this is a book for you. Inside the book you will find a collection of twenty magic tricks that are all based on some mathematics. For each trick there is a step-by-step routine to ensure that the performance you give looks both polished and professional. This book is particularly well-suited to mathematics teachers who are looking for interesting and original starter activities to use in their lessons. Mathematics students from age nine up to university level should also find the book entertaining as the mathematical skills required to appreciate the maths behind the magic are wide ranging. Adam Boddison was born in Birkenhead in 1981 and attended Cole Street Primary School and then Birkenhead School. Having excelled in both his maths and further maths A-levels, Adam went on to gain a mathematics degree at the University of Warwick. He now holds additional qualifications in both mathematics education and clinical hypnotherapy. Adam is currently a mathematics teacher with experience of working with children at both primary and secondary level. He has always been passionate about both magic and mathematics and this collection of tricks has given Adam the opportunity to combine these two areas in an educational context.
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