Mathematics, Magic and Mystery

Why do card tricks work? How can magicians do astonishing feats of mathematics mentally? Why do stage "mind-reading" tricks work? As a rule, we simply accept these tricks and "magic" without recognizing that they are really demonstrations of strict laws based on probability, sets, number theory, topology, and other branches of mathematics.

Preface1. Tricks with Cards--Part I The Curiosities of Peirce The Five Poker Hands Tricks Using Cards as Counting Units The Piano Trick The Estimated Cut Tricks Using the Numerical Values Findley's Four-card Trick A Baffling Prediction Henry Christ's Improvement The Cyclic Number The Missing Card Jordan's Method Tricks Based on Division of Colors and Suits Stewart James' Color Prediction The Royal Pairs Tricks Using Front and Back Matching the Colors Hummer's Reversal Mystery The Little Moonies2. Tricks with Cards--Part II O'Connor's Four-ace Trick The Magic of Manhattan Predicting the Shift The Keystone Card Discovery Two-pile Location Spelling the Spades Elmsley's Card Coincidence Magic by Mail Belchou's Aces The Tit-Tat-Toe Trick Other Tricks of Interest3. From Gergonne to Gargantua Naming the Position of the Card Bringing the Card to a Named Position Walker's Method Naming the Card Relation to Ternary System Gargantua's Ten-pile Problem4. Magic with Common Objects Dice Guessing the Total Frank Dodd's Prediction Positional Notation Tricks Hummer's Die Mystery Dominoes The Break in the Chain The Row of Thirteen Calendars Magic Squares Gibson's Circled Dates Stover's Prediction Calendar Memorizing Watches Tapping the Hours Die and Watch Mystery Dollar Bills Heath's Bill Trick Matches The Three Heaps Match Folder Mind-Reading The Tramps and Chickens The Purloined Objects Coins The Nine Mystery Which Hand? Heath's Variation Heads or Tails? Checkerboards Hummer's Checker Trick Miscellaneous Objects Hummer's Three-Object Divination Yates' Four-Object Divination5. Topological Tomfoolery The Afghan Bands Handkerchief Tricks Finger Escape Tabor's Interlocked Handkerchiefs Knotty Problems String and Rope Garter Tricks The Giant's Garter More String Tricks Clothing The Puzzling Loop Reversing the Vest Removing the Vest Rubber Bands The Jumping Band The Twisted Band6. Tricks with Special Equipment Number Cards Window Cards Sam Lloyd's Version Tap Tricks Crazy Time "Heath's "Tappit" Tap-a-Drink Tap-an-Animal The Riddle Card Dice and Domino Tricks "Heath's "Di-Ciphering" Sure-Shot Dice Box Blyth's Domino Box Blocks of India Hummer Tricks7. Geometrical Vanishes--Part I The Line Paradox Sam Lloyd's Flag Puzzle The Vanishing Face "Get Off the Earth" DeLand's Paradox The Vanishing Rabbit Stover's Variations8. Geometrical Vanishes--Part II The Checkerboard Paradox Hooper's Paradox Square Variation Fibonacci Series Langman's Version Curry's Paradox Curry Triangles Four-piece Squares Three-piece Squares Two-piece Squares Curved and 3-D Forms9. Magic with Pure Numbers Rapid Cube Root Extraction Adding a Fibonacci Series Predicting a Number Curry's Version Al Baker's Version Divining a Number The Mysteries of Nine Digital Roots Persistent Root Guessing Someone's Age An Addition Trick A Multiplication Trick The Mysteries of Seven Predicting a Sum "Al Baker's "Numero" Psychological ForcesName Index