The Magic of Maths – become a Maths Magician
The following simple illusion is just one example that intrigues young and old alike. Cut along the dotted line and slide the lower half along by one face and magically one of the faces vanishes! Challenge your students to draw their own illusion. Start with something simple like a picture of pencils, blocks or hats.
The website Geometrical Vanishes is a good place to start when looking at visual magic
http://library.thinkquest.org/28049/geometrical_vanishes.htm
Some more Visual Maths Magic can be investigated with the area of these shapes.
This set of four pieces is called Hooper’s Paradox. The top rectangle has an of area of 30 (10x3) and can be rearranged into the bottom shape, which is made up of two rectangles. Strangely these two rectangles have a combined area of 32 (2x6 + 4x5 ). When the magician performs this trick he exclaims how he has gained 2 more pieces for free.
To see Hooper’s Paradox being performed by a professional magician play this video to your students, then ask them to make cardboard versions of Hooper’s Paradox and investigate how it works.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS-EHpIpOVY
Websites on Mathematical Magic
Google – Maths Magic on YouTube and you will discover hundreds of videos.
One of my favourites is “Math magic card trick!!” as it shows two teenagers demonstrating a card trick in the park. At the end of the video one of the teenagers says “How does it do it, I don’t know!”
What a great place to start the lesson with your class….. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLJYZJ_ZuGA
Tricks and Games on Murderous Maths website
Prime number trick, Predictor cards, Five card trick, Calendar trick and many more
www.murderousmaths.co.uk/games/gamesint.htm
Stunning Friends with Math Magic
A collection of 22 card tricks, number guessing games, paper and glue magic, and other maths magic tricks. Each trick is explained
www.cut-the-knot.org/arithmetic/rapid/magic.shtml
Maths & Magic
Website gives a range of interesting maths magic tricks
www.counton.org/explorer/mathsmagic/
Hidden Answers – Mathematical Magic
Website gives 15 interesting mathematical tricks of varying difficulty
www.numericana.com/answer/magic.htm#1089
Books on Mathematical Magic
Mathematics, Magic and Mystery by Martin Gardner
Magic tricks that may be played with cards, common objects, special equipment, drawings, and pure numbers. This is one of the great maths magic books.
www.amazon.co.uk/Mathematics-Magic-Mystery-Dover-books/dp/0486203352
Creative Magic by Steve Humble and Martin Duffy
Children and adults will improve their mathematical skills in a friendly and fun way. This book shows you how to perform magic and how to create your own versions of classic magic tricks. The creativity comes from the chapters ideas on how to develop the tricks to make them your own.
www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Magic-Steve-Humble/dp/1446116174
Or from iTunes at £1.99 -
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/become-maths-wizard-creative/id467188942?mt=11
Magic for Kids by Andrew Jeffrey
It includes a huge range of mathematical tricks which both teach and entertain.
www.andrewjeffrey.co.uk/products.asp
Murderous Maths books by Kjartan Poskitt
All the books in this series contain some maths magic tricks
www.amazon.co.uk/Murderous-Maths-Everything-Kjartan-Poskitt/dp/1407131435/ref=pd_sim_b4