1

Setup

Setup 3x3 checker board.

    X O X
    O X O
    X O X

Rules

  • Audience picks a random square on the board for their point of origin. [not sure if this rule is correct]
  • Magician will choose & call out the number of spaces the audience must take to move to next space.
  • Movement between spaces is constrained to horizontal and vertical directions, i.e. Left, Right, Up, Down only. No diagonal moves allowed between spaces.

Magicians Secret

  • Pick even number then audience will stay on same colored space.
  • Pick odd number then audience will switch to opposite colored space.

Math-a-Magic

In what order must the Magician call out the odd and/or even numbers to force entire audience on to the same colored square?

Melioratus
  • 111
  • 1
    So there are multiple members of the audience, each choosing their own square and moving independently? It would seem certainly impossible then - if two audience members started on opposite colored squares, then any number you call out and any move they make preserves that. – Milo Brandt May 09 '15 at 15:57
  • @Meelo - It may seem impossible but it isn't. Two varieties of this particular Math-a-magic trick have been performed successfully in front of millions of viewers and I have performed it myself multiple times for others over the phone and from an adjoining room. After the performance I used the audiences wonder and awe as a platform to introduce why everyone should be excited to learn Mathematics. – Melioratus May 09 '15 at 19:56
  • Please note - I'm not planning to disclose the entire trick but I hope the answer to my question will provide a template for new varieties of this cool mentalist trick and could be used to encourage & inspire others to explore and enjoy Mathematics. – Melioratus May 09 '15 at 20:08
  • @Meelo - Just realized, you may have just answered my question because I have probably forgotten a key step in the trick. It's been a couple decades since I've done it. – Melioratus May 09 '15 at 20:20

0 Answers0