Hello all,

For some reason I was wondering around this forum and I saw some topics about magic squares, then suddenly I was hit by a forgotten memory of a Derren Brown show I saw years ago. For his encore he did a magic square routine, basically ,chose a person from the audience at random who is asked to think of a two digit number. He then says that surveys have been done on random numbers chosen by people who read different newspapers; he writes out some of these on a sheet visible to the audience. He tries to work out the subject's number based on reading that person and their choice of newspaper. He gets it wrong. It is then revealed that the numbers he has written down form a magic square and each row, column, and several other combinations all add up to the subject's number.

Now I know I will get screamed at for asking about his effects, but this was never televised, and it was over 10 years ago.

For me it scream out stooges, but I still believe that there could be a way of doing it, any thoughts?

Zak

No stooges.

So how do you reckon he did it?

Zak

Very carefully

The magic square has been around forever, and you don't need stooges.

None of these answer my question, I was asking how it can be done, I myself don't normally use magic squares when I do magic, so its not something I could work out.

Zak

Should you not have been aware, this is a Google-searchable area of the Café, and we do not expose secrets here.

We also try not to have this be a forum where just anyone can show up and learn how magic effects are accomplished. The secrets are to be found in the same way they were to be found prior to the Magic Café.

Well said Doug.

Check out Joshua Jay's Complete Course in Magic.

Okay I worded that very badly, can someone tell me where something like this has been published.

Zak

Zak,
I agree with the others that we don't give out secrets on here, though in general people will give references. Having seen Derren's routine myself I can say that you're not going to find it in any book... but it is a combination of ideas found all over the places.

Let's break it down. The performer has two things to do: 1) find what number the spectator chose. 2) construct the square.

1) There are many methods, read any book on mentalism; suitable ideas are in Corinda's 13 Steps To Mentalism. You will not find the method Derren used in a book however.

2) There is a very standard construction of magic squares that you will find is the most standard method around. Try Harry Lorayne's The Magic Book.

There we go. Hope that's not frustratingly vague, but the truth is that many of the routines of the best magicians are more about presentation than method: just think about any cups and balls routine by a master, they're doing the same sleights as all of us but better, and better routined!

Owen

Hello Zak,

If you're really interested in "Mathemagic" you will find the information you are looking for in the publication Martin Gardner "Mathematics, Magic and Mystery."

(You can also find it elsewhere, it is very popular)

The problem with this solution is that the magic square built this way is wrong. It gives only 36 instead of 52 which is recurrent classical numerical solutions. This is why I prefer the method that I created and I'm presenting. This method has not yet been made public but I certainly will sell it soon. I just take the time to have fun with it before.

So-called "most perfect" pandiagonal 4x4 magic squares have 52 solutions. As far as I know, these can only be created for EVEN totals. For ODD totals, there are 36 summation patterns.

The ebook "Mostly Perfect" explains this and teaches my construction method.

http://www.lybrary.com/mostly-perfect-p-124662.html

Mike

Hi Mike,

Absolutely right the pandiagonal Magic square must have an odd numbers for magic total.
But are we magician or not ? So...
I read the presentation of our "mostly-perfect" it seems to be a very good présentation of the différents magic squares.
I think it could answer the questions of this topic.

Sicerely yours.

I wonder if the Magic Square isn't being cheapened by its rapid performance in public. I sent a Magic Square based on a friend's age as part of a birthday gift - sending it a day late as I was "having trouble getting some of the numbers." Don't you believe the time spent on it adds to its value? Most gimmicked straitjackets enable you to escape in under ten seconds. No magicians do.