Magical Math: Debunking a Web-Posed Prestidigitation

Magical Math: Debunking a Web-Posed Prestidigitation

The website Mystical Ball.com (http://www.mysticalball.com/) presents a compelling and mysterious “magic trick” that appears to read our mind every time we engage in the “trick”: “Choose any two digit number, add together both digits then subtract the total from your original number. When you have the final number look it up on the chart and find the relevant symbol. Concentrate on the symbol and when you have it clearly in your mind click on the crystal ball and it will show you the symbol you are thinking of... .” The trick appears to work every time the user participates. This project, through the use of a poster presentation and a laptop computer so the observer can actually participate in the “trick” online, will debunk the “magic trick” and reveal to the participant exactly how magical math makes the “trick” possible.