Greetings all,

I have a small question, I have a show coming up next week and I am thinking about opening with a cube extraction. There are a few questions this raises.

1. This joint I am performing at is a saturdaynight kids teens and parents and some 20sish people, now considering they will be asked to cube a number, will they feel burdoned?

2. Will they get it right?

3. Could I hand them a calculator, without them thinking its gimmicked?

4. Should I ask them to do this preshow, or on stage?

5. Does anyone even care about feats of math?

I personally really like the concept of introducing yourself with something simple like somekind of lightning calculations, its a nice little taste of what your powerful brain can do.

Anyone else out the do this?

I have never heard of a "cube extraction".

Two important questions:

Can you easily explain what you are doing to your audience so they will understand what you are doing ... and that your efforts are very difficult?

Will it be easy for your audience to SEE you efforts are correct? People must SEE your efforts.

I would "coach" someone how to use the calculator before your show if it is neede to prove you are correct.

Opening with something simple, amazing and believable is a wonderful way to start a pure mentalism show. I open with my magic square - which is funny, fast and impressive. (But, it took me three years to perfect the routine.)

Also remember - there is a fine line between proving you have special math (or memory) abilities ... and showing off to the point of boring people.

Best of luck ...

Chuck Hickok

Sorry, I should have said Cube Root Extraction (ie 20x20x20). Say you have them work out a cubed number, lets use 10. They would need to multiply 10x10x10(to themselves) this would yield 1,000, this is the number they would tell me. Immediately I would respond with their original number. But the cube of 1000 is kinda simple, and packs a bigger punch when dealling with 6 digit numbers. The basis of my whole act is using the power of brain science to finely hone well my brain, a quick math feat I believe will be a nice introduction.

Dr. Zenitram,
please do not take offense, but if I saw someone start their show with a cube root extraction, I would not be very impressed. I would, quite frankly, be bored by it and start muttering expletives to myself. It's just not amazing. As Chuck Hickok suggests, something like a magic square, done the right way, can be very amazing and entertaining.
Please don't be mad at me Dr. Zenitram, but IMHO you should drop this idea.

Sincerely,
Kaylan

Kaylan
You don't have to make apologies. I appreciate the honesty. I asked for advice and I am getting it. If I didn't want to hear any negative points I wouldn't have asked. Thanks.

This is just me, but I don't think that would be very entertaining for an opener.

Openers should require minimal explanation, so cube root extractions may not be the best way to go for an opener. A good opener should be got into, got on with, and got out of.

Here is some footage of Shakuntala Devi, doing cube and fourth roots, showing that it can be done for an audience.

If you came up with a presentation, perhaps developing the situational meaning of the routine, it could be made entertaining elsewhere in the routine.

Cube root extractions are amazing to most people, but they probably aren't that interesting (math teacher sigh).

You are doing some interesting thinking, though. A show of intellectual prowess might set the tone you want, or it just might distance you from the audience. Are you the "sage on the stage" or are you a "regular person who uses ordinary powers in an extraordinary way"?

John

Want a quick,and amazing opener?
Richard Osterlinds,'Inside the Fold'.

Rich

You could start with the magic square, and then continue with the cube roots. There is a build-up of difficulty from addition to cube root extraction. You can do a full set of math effects - Art Benjamin and Stan Nagler do, but you need full mastery of your effects.

Hmm... cubed roots - well - y'know if you were doing math... you could show the shadowy overlap with 1) numerology and 2) non-Euclidian math (Cthulhoid angles) etc... etc etc...

The Cube root as an opener might be nice as something that is part of another opener effect... like, Rich above says "Do Inside the Fold" - however, that doesn't really address your question - but being wacky myself, I'd maybe create a patter / theme re: doing the cubed root is a way of helping you focus on harnessing your mental energies for pushing things into alternative dimensions of space - look at this for example - and inside/outside object... just by reciting your mantra of mathematics...

Just a thought - the thing about the Magic Square is also it is nicely visible - engage as many senses as you can - especially in mentalism!

(I've been toying with my Quantum Magics act for a while - this actually might be a good opener - a good lead in to my Shroedinger Cat Box!)

Thanks to everyone for their advice. It looks as if for now I will not be doing that as an opener. What I do plan on eventually doing is having it as an almost running gag throughout the show. My spot next week(well this week actually) is only 15 minuts and I think I was packing too much in. I'm going to do a quick monolog instead then go into the Hoy Booktest.

Thanks
Dr. Zenitram

Everyone has a cell phone, would that calculator work?

Scott is right on. Get out there and read some minds. Do it quickly.

If you have to, do some preshow work.

You need to get their attention.