Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas That Animate Great Magic Tricks

The mathematics behind some of the world's most amazing card tricks

Magical Mathematics reveals the secrets of fun-to-perform card tricks — and the profound mathematical ideas behind them — that will astound even the most accomplished magician. Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham provide easy, step-by-step instructions for each trick, explaining how to set up the effect and offering tips on what to say and do while performing it. Each card trick introduces a new mathematical idea, and varying the tricks in turn takes readers to the very threshold of today's mathematical knowledge.

Diaconis and Graham tell the stories — and reveal the best tricks — of the eccentric and brilliant inventors of mathematical magic. The book exposes old gambling secrets through the mathematics of shuffling cards, explains the classic street-gambling scam of three-card Monte, traces the history of mathematical magic back to the oldest mathematical trick — and much more.

— "San Jose Mercury News"

• Author
• Persi Diaconis, Ron Graham

• Format
• hardcover

• Pages
• 244

• Publisher
• Princeton University Press

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 9780691151649

• Genres
• mathematics, science, magic

• Release date
• 2011