This is your card This is your card
Acknowledgments Acknowledgments
The author Peter McOwan appears courtesy of the cs4fn project www.cs4fn.org. The author Peter McOwan appears courtesy of the cs4fn project www.cs4fn.org. This work was supported by the HEFCE More Maths Grads project. We would This work was supported by the HEFCE More Maths Grads project. We would like to thank Makhan Singh, David Arrowsmith, Caroline Davis, James Anthony, like to thank Makhan Singh, David Arrowsmith, Caroline Davis, James Anthony, Rupak Mann, Richard Garriott and Kris Bush for their valuable contributions. Rupak Mann, Richard Garriott and Kris Bush for their valuable contributions. Design: jamesanthonygraphics.com Design: jamesanthonygraphics.com
ISBN No. 978-0-9551179-7-8 ISBN No. 978-0-9551179-7-8
The Manual of Mathematical Magic
Mathematics and magic may seem a strange combination, but many of the most powerful magical effects performed today have a mathematical basis. Famous magicians such as Derren Brown and David Blaine use mathematics-based tricks in their shows, but mathematics is also the secret behind the technologies we use, the products we buy and the jobs we will have. Mathematics is the language we use to describe the world around us - it’s the basis of all the sciences. This book will show you how to perform some magical miracles to impress and entertain your friends. But it will also explain the mathematics behind the tricks and how that same mathematics is used in the real world. It also looks at the varied and exciting sorts of jobs that make use of the mathematics powering your magic. All the tricks in this book are self-working, which means you don’t need to know any clever sleight of hand, like dealing cards from the bottom of a deck. But be warned: knowing the mathematical secret isn’t the same as being able to perform the tricks well. To do that, you need