Math, Magic and Testing

I was out walking, catching up on podcasts when I came across this episode from BBC’s More Or Less. Its focus is math and statistics issues that come up in the news and (unsurprisingly) a lot of that has been about statistics surrounding COVID 19.

I was surprised when the episode contained a magic trick!

The trick in question is a math/mindreading trick which is quite old. It’s not uncommon to find it in children’s math sets. It’s most commonly known as the “Age Cards”. The way it works is that the magician has six cards with a bunch of random numbers printed on them, usually from one to sixty-four. You think of a number and look at the cards one by one and say “Yes” or “No” depending on whether or not you see your number. And that information is enough to determine what number you’re thinking of.

What’s really cool is that this concept is being applied to the technique of “Pool Testing” which is a method of grouping together multiple virus tests so you only have to run the test once but can still sort out who (probably) has the virus.

I was at convention some years ago with the legendary British magician Paul Daniels (who probably performed more magic on TV than any other person in history). He said that it was performing the “Age Cards” for someone randomly on a train led to his first TV show.

The BBC on Why We Like Magic

The BBC takes a look at why we like magic.

The article is inspired by a recently released book by Dr. Gustav Kuhn from the University of London: Experiencing the Impossible: The Science of Magic. Using science to investigate magicians and how magic works has become rather popular lately. Magicians are, at their core, empiricists. A trick either fools people or it doesn’t. It generates astonishment and applause or it doesn’t. And psychologists are now excited to explore the why behind the how.

But why is magic exciting for us, even when the unexplainable can be deeply discomfiting? As Dr. Kuhn puts it:

“Dr Kuhn likens the appeal of a magic trick to that of a horror film.

If such bloodshed was seen in real life, he says, it would be traumatic and awful, but when it’s shown in the safety of a movie, the fear becomes something that people can enjoy.

Likewise, if we were confronted with something which disorientated and distorted our senses, it would be deeply disturbing, but when it’s put into the context of a magic trick, it becomes entertaining and amusing.

The fact that we know it’s not real is an essential part of making it an enjoyable sensation.”

Random Martini Trivia

The British quiz show QI remains one of my favourite programs to watch. They have redefined educational entertainment. Their name is short for Quite Interesting, and the main rule of the show is you get points "for being interesting."

After a year of Magic & Martini I get sent lovely clips like this. Here is some interesting background on Martinis in general, and how James Bond prefers them in particular:

If you're a fan of things British, you will recognize the original host of Whose Line Is It Anyway, Clive Anderson and one of the world's most delightful all around humans, Stephen Fry. 

Hidden Messages

Have you ever wondered if you could be persuaded to do things against your will by subliminal messaging (messages which are delivered so quickly that they sneak pass your conscious awareness and feel like thoughts that come from within your own mind.)

Here, a man with a British accent explores the history and science behind them. (Warning, video may contain subliminal messages.)