Gardner, Martin: Mathematics, Magic and Mystery ©1956 Dover Publications Softcover, perfect-bound, 5.5x8.5", 177 pages ISBN: 0486203352

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Comments:A collection of magic all based on mathematical principles. Magic with cards, coins, matches, and more!

Contents:

xi Preface

1 Chapter One: Tricks with Cards - Part I
2 The Curiosities of Peirce
3 The Five Poker Hands
4 Tricks Using Cards as Counting Units
4 The Piano Trick
5 The Estimated Cut
6 Tricks Using the Numerical Values
6 Findley's Four-card Trick
7 A Baffling Prediction
8 Henry Christ's Improvement
9 The Cyclic Number
10 The Missing Card
11 Jordan's Method
13 Tricks Based on Division of Colors and Suits
13 Stewart James' Color Prediction
15 The Royal Pairs
15 Tricks Using Front and Back
15 Matching the Colors
17 Hummer's Reversal Mystery
19 The Little Moonies

20 Chapter Two: Tricks with Cards - Part II
20 O'Connor's Four-ace Trick
20 The Magic of Manhattan
21 Predicting the Shift
22 The Keystone Card Discovery
22 Two-pile Location
23 Spelling the Spades
25 Elmsley's Card Coincidence
27 Magic by Mail
27 Belchou's Aces
28 The Tit-Tat-Toe Trick
31 Other Tricks of Interest

33 Chapter Three: From Gergonne to Gargantua
34 Naming the Position of the Card
35 Bringing the Card to a Named Position
36 Walker's Method
38 Naming the Card
39 Relation to Ternary System
40 Gargantua's Ten-pile Problem

42 Chapter Four: Magic with Common Objects
42 Dice
43 Guessing the Total
43 Frank Dodd's Prediction
44 Positional Notation Tricks
45 Hummer's Die Mystery
46 Dominoes
47 The Break in the Chain
47 The Row of Thirteen
48 Calendars
48 Magic Squares
48 Gibson's Circled Dates
49 Stover's Prediction
50 Calendar Memorizing
50 Watches
50 Tapping the Hours
51 Die and Watch Mystery
52 Dollar Bills
52 Heath's Bill Trick
55 Matches
55 The Three Heaps
55 Match Folder Mind-Reading
56 The Tramps and Chickens
57 The Purloined Objects
59 Coins
59 The Nine Mystery
59 Which Hand?
60 Heath's Variation
61 Heads or Tails?
62 Checkerboards
62 Hummer's Checker Trick
63 Miscellaneous Objects
63 Hummer's Three-Object Divination
66 Yates' Four-Object Divination

69 Chapter Five: Topological Tomfoolery
70 The Afghan Bands
73 Handkerchief Tricks
73 Finger Escape
76 Tabor's Interlocked Handkerchiefs
80 Knotty Pro
81 String and Rope
81 Garter Tricks
82 The Giant's Garter
84 More String Tricks
86 Clothing
86 The Puzzling Loop
86 Reversing the Vest
87 Removing the Vest
91 Rubber Bands
91 The Jumping Band
91 The Twisted Band

95 Chapter Six: Tricks with Special Equipment
95 Number Cards
96 Window Cards
100 Sam Lloyd's Version
101 Tap Tricks
101 Crazy Time
102 Heath's "Tappit"
103 Tap-a-Drink
104 Tap-an-Animal
106 The Riddle Card
106 Dice and Domino Tricks
106 Heath's "Di-Ciphering"
108 Sure-Shot Dice Box
110 Blyth's Domino Box
110 Blocks of India
111 Hummer Tricks

114 Chapter Seven: Geometrical Vanishes - Part I
114 The Line Paradox
117 Sam Lloyd's Flag Puzzle
118 The Vanishing Face
118 "Get Off the Earth"
123 DeLand's Paradox
125 The Vanishing Rabbit
125 Stover's Variations

129 Chapter Eight: Geometrical Vanishes - Part II
129 The Checkerboard Paradox
131 Hooper's Paradox
132 Square Variation
134 Fibonacci Series
137 Langman's Version
139 Curry's Paradox
145 Curry Triangles
151 Four-piece Squares
153 Three-piece Squares
153 Two-piece Squares
155 Curved and 3-D Forms

156 Chapter Nine: Magic with Pure Numbers
157 Rapid Cube Root Extraction
158 Adding a Fibonacci Series
159 Predicting a Number
160 Curry's Version
160 Al Baker's Version
161 Divining a Number
163 The Mysteries of Nine
164 Digital Roots
165 Persistent Root
166 Guessing Someone's Age
167 An Addition Trick
167 A Multiplication Trick
168 The Mysteries of Seven
170 Predicting a Sum
172 Al Baker's "Numero"
173 Psychological Forces

175 Name Index