Magical Mathematics

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.

Auteur

Persi Diaconis is professor of mathematics and statistics at Stanford University, and a former professional magician. Ron Graham (1935-2020) was professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of California, San Diego, and a former professional juggler.

Résumé
The mathematics behind some of the world's most amazing card tricksMagical 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.

Contenu

Foreword ix
Preface xi

Chapter 1: Mathematics in the Air 1
Royal Hummer 8
Back to Magic 15

Chapter 2: In Cycles 17
The Magic of de Bruijn Sequences 18
Going Further 25

Chapter 3: Is This Stuff Actually Good For Anything? 30
Robotic Vision 30
Making Codes 34
To the Core of Our Being 38
This de Bruijn Stuff Is Cool but Can It Get You a Job? 42

Chapter 4: Universal Cycles 47
Order Matters 47
A Mind-reading Effect 52
Universal Cycles Again 55

Chapter 5: From the Gilbreath Principle to the Mandelbrot Set 61
The Gilbreath Principle 61
The Mandelbrot Set 72

Chapter 6: Neat Shuffles 84
A Mind-reading Computer 85
A Look Inside Perfect Shuffles 92
A Look Inside Monge and Milk Shuffles 96
A Look Inside Down-and-Under Shuffles 98
All the Shuffles Are Related 99

Chapter 7: The Oldest Mathematical Entertainment? 103
The Miracle Divination 105
How Many Magic Tricks Are There? 114

Chapter 8: Magic in the Book of Changes 119
Introduction to the Book of Changes 121
Using the I Ching for Divination 122
Probability and the Book of Changes 125
Some Magic (Tricks) 127
Probability and the I Ching 136

Chapter 9: What Goes Up Must Come Down 137
Writing It Down 138
Getting Started in Juggling 145 10 Stars of Mathematical Magic (and some of the best tricks in the book) 153
Alex Elmsley 156
Bob Neale 160
Henry Christ 173
Stewart James 181
Charles Thornton Jordan 189
Bob Hummer 201
Martin Gardner 211

Chapter 11: Going further 220
Chapter 12: on secrets 225
Notes 231
Index 239