Have you ever watched a magic trick and thought, “Wow! How did they do that?” Maybe you’ve seen a magician change a penny into a quarter and then back again, or even make someone float in the air. These tricks can seem like magic, but there’s a secret behind them!
Magicians are really good at something called the “art of distraction.” This means they show you something or say something to make you look in one direction while they do something sneaky in another. Let’s look at a fun example to understand this better.
Imagine a magician with a water bottle and a packet of catsup inside. It looks like they can make the packet move up and down just by waving their hand. But if you watch closely, you’ll see the trick! The magician is actually squeezing the bottle with their other hand, which makes the packet move. They distract you by making you focus on the hand that’s not doing the trick.
Another cool trick is when a magician seems to float off the ground. They might lift one foot completely off the floor, but they turn their body so you can’t see the other foot. The secret is that their other foot is still touching the ground, just with the heel lifted. From where you’re watching, it looks like they’re floating!
To figure out magic tricks, you need to be like a detective. Watch carefully and try not to get distracted. This is similar to what scientists do when they solve puzzles. They observe everything closely to find out what’s really happening.
If you’re curious about more tricks, there’s a magician named Jibrizy who explains how he does his coin tricks. You can learn more by visiting mysteryscience.com/magic.
Thanks for exploring the world of magic with us! Remember, there are mysteries all around us. Keep asking questions and stay curious. See you next time for more fun and learning!
Magic Trick Observation: Try performing a simple magic trick for your family or friends. Use the “art of distraction” by asking them to focus on one hand while you secretly do something with the other. For example, hide a small object in one hand and pretend to pass it to the other hand, but keep it hidden. Ask your audience to guess where the object is. After the trick, discuss what they noticed and what distracted them.
Create Your Own Trick: Use everyday items like a coin, a cup, or a piece of string to invent your own magic trick. Think about how you can use distraction to make the trick more surprising. Practice your trick and then perform it for someone. Ask them if they can figure out how you did it. Share what you did to distract them during the trick.
Magic Detective Game: Watch a magic trick video with your family or friends. Pause the video at different points and discuss what you think the magician is doing to create the illusion. Try to spot the moment of distraction. After watching, talk about what you observed and if you were able to figure out the secret behind the trick.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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(Phone ringing) – Hi Doug. – Hi Devyn. – I have a question for you. How do magicians trick people? – That’s a great question. The best kind of magic tricks are the ones that make you go, “What! How did this person change a penny to a quarter and then back to a penny again?” Watch that again. (Light music) Or here’s one of my favorites. This person seems to float or levitate off the floor. How are they doing that?
Now, lots of magic tricks like these are things anyone can do. In fact, we’ve got a special bonus activity this week where my friends and I here at Mystery Science will show you a trick that you can try out on some of the adults in your life. But how do magic tricks work? Well, it probably won’t surprise you that in every great magic trick, you are actually being tricked. In other words, what you think is happening isn’t really happening.
So, then how exactly does a great magic trick trick us? What’s the secret? One of the most common ways magicians trick us is by using what we call the art of distraction. In other words, saying something or showing you something that takes your attention away from what they’re really doing.
Take this simple example: a catsup packet in a water bottle. It seems like this person can make the catsup in the bottle go up or down using some kind of invisible force from this hand. But now watch this clip again, keeping in mind that it’s a trick and the person performing it is distracting you. How are they distracting you? What are they doing? See if you can figure it out. And if you’ve already figured this one out, have a look at the levitating trick again and see if you can figure it out.
Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss. Okay, are you ready? The catsup in the bottle trick is actually a great example of distraction. This person is drawing your attention to this hand, making you think it’s this hand that’s somehow magically moving the catsup packet up and down. But meanwhile, that means you’re not as likely to notice what’s going on with this hand.
Watch again. You see that? Right there. You can notice the person is squeezing this hand ever so slightly on the bottle, pushing water up or down in the bottle as they squeeze, which is really what’s causing the catsup packet to go up and down. A similar thing is going on with the levitation trick. Only instead of distracting you with their hands, this person is distracting you with their feet.
They really are lifting their right foot entirely off the ground. But notice how you can’t actually see what they’re doing with their left foot. They’ve turned their body so that you can’t see what’s going on with their left foot. If you could, you’d find out that their left foot never fully leaves the ground. Instead, they only lift up their left heel. From your perspective, this tricks you and makes you think that both feet are somehow magically off the ground.
Since so many magic tricks involve distraction, the secret to figuring out how almost any trick works is to observe carefully. Try to notice everything you can. Don’t get distracted. It’s actually a lot like what a scientist does when they’re trying to figure out a tough challenge.
Oh, and as for that coin trick you saw earlier, in case you’re wondering how this magician did this? Well, his name is Jibrizy, and he’s got a whole video where he explains how to do it. If you want to check it out, you can find the link at mysteryscience.com/magic.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Devyn, for asking it. Don’t forget to check out the special activity my friends and I here at Mystery Science have put together. Now for the next episode, I’ll reach into my question jar and pick out three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: “What happens to our food after we eat it?” “Why can’t we see the air?” or “How do earthquakes happen?” So submit your vote when the video is over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious and see you next week.
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This version removes any informal or conversational elements while maintaining the core content.
