Student Tribune

Math Appreciation Month - Week 4: The Mathematics of Magic

April is Math Appreciation Month!

Have you ever watched a card trick and wondered how the magician could pull off such a trick?
Did the thought ever occur to you that there could be mathematics behind the magic?
Click the link below to watch a short video of such a card trick and then read “The Answer is 2” trick below that link.
The mathematical explanations of these two tricks are attached.

The Answer is 2 Trick

1. Think of a number.

2. Multiply this number by 3.

3. Add 6.

4. Divide this number by 3.

5. Subtract the number you thought of in Step 1 from the answer in Step 4.

The answer is 2.

(Source: thoughtco.com)

Math Appreciation Month Committee (E. Basnayake, A. Calhoun, B. Clickner, B. Martineau, R, Santiago, K. Wells)

Martineau, Brigitte
Mathematics Appreciation Month
04/16/2021