Volumes, the MoMath book club
Tuesday, December 20 at 6:30 pm ET (New York)
(online)
Volumes continues! Join Distinguished Visiting Professor Tim Chartier and guest Colm Mulcahy for an online discussion of Martin Gardner's Mathematics, Magic and Mystery.
Why do card tricks work? How can magicians do astonishing feats of mathematics mentally? Why do stage "mind-reading" tricks work? As a rule, we simply accept these tricks and "magic" without recognizing that they are really demonstrations of strict laws based on probability, sets, number theory, topology, and other branches of mathematics. This is the first book-length study of this fascinating branch of recreational mathematics. Written by one of the foremost experts on mathematical magic, it employs considerable historical data to summarize all previous work in this field. Nontechnical, detailed, and clear, this volume contains 115 sections discussing tricks with cards, dice, coins, etc.; topological tricks with handkerchiefs, cards, etc.; geometrical vanishing effects; demonstrations with pure numbers; and dozens of other topics.
Colm Mulcahy is a mathematician and author whose puzzles have appeared in The New York Times. A longtime friend of Martin Gardner, he is Chair of Gathering 4 Gardner, an organization devoted to preserving the legacy of the legendary puzzler.
This is an online-only event; all registrants will be participating remotely. Occasional video recordings are made available for a fee at videos.momath.org.
(Zoom link will be emailed after registration)
United States
Registration | |
Free event registration | $0.00 |
Free for MoMath members | $0.00 |
Fee waived (for families with financial need) | $0.00 |
Free event registration plus $10 donation to support families in need | $10.00 |