A Trick
This is a very interesting little trick and always surprises people even though it is understood that it is worked on arithmetical principles. The performer turns his back and asks somebody to throw two dice onto the table. The performer then tells him what number he has thrown.
Procedure.
As soon as the dice have been thrown, the performer asks the person to take the uppermost number on either one of the dice and multiply it by two, then add 5 to the product and multiply the sum by 5, then add the uppermost number of the other dice.
When the performer is told the total figure, he at once announces the number of spots uppermost on each of the dice.
The performer has no complicated figuring to do. His only calculation is to subtract 25 from the last total given by the person who has thrown the dice. The remainder he obtains in this way will be a two-figure number.
One of these figures will indicate the number of spots uppermost on one of the dice, and the other figure will indicate the spots showing on the second dice.
obtained by the spectator was 60, the performer would subtract 25, obtaining a balance of 35. One of the dice would have 3 spots showing and the other dice 5 spots.
Age and Month of Birth
Write down the number of the month of birth. Then go through the following:
Number of month of birth (April) 4
Double it 8
Add 5 13
Multiply by 50 650
Add your age (16) 666
Subtract 365 301
The leader calls for the result. Then he secretly adds 115, making the total 416. He immediately announces April as the month of birth and 16 as the age. The first one or two digits indicate the month and the last two indicate the age.
Magic Addition
Here is a trick to play on your friend. Ask someone to write down in a line all the figures from one to nine, but leaving out the figure 8, like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9.
Then say that this is a test of good writing and ask which figure is written badly.
Suppose the answer is the figure 2. Then tell your friend to multiply the whole line by 18, like this:
1 2345679
_
98765432 12345679
2
22222222
As you see, the answer is all twos.
Then tell your friends that he has a lot of practice in writing the figure 2 and ought to be able to write it nicely.
The secret is privately to multiply whatever number is given by 9. In the example given, 2x9 = 18.
Suppose the number given is 5, then your friend will have to multiply the line by 45, and the answer will be all fives.
Word changing
Change the words into different ones by adding one letter at the beginning or at the end.
Example: Change a word meaning a place for skating (rink) into what you do when thirsty {drink).
1. Change the reason for umbrellas into a quick means of travel.
2. "Change a mass of hay into something much used in building.
Change something very cold into something used for puddings.
Change a measure of distance into a little laugh.
Change part of the head into a measure of time.
Change a rule into an animal's "finger".
Change the finish into a repair.
Change a vehicle into a mark left by a wound.
Change a scheme into something growing in the garden.
Change a beam of light into a shallow container. 11 Change to go quickly into one step of a ladder.
Change one means of transport into a slower one.
Change a fastener into a time recorder.
Change slender into just an article.
Change a sheet of water into a little piece of snow.
Change a place for ships into athletic games.
Change something used to work with into something to sit on.
Change a source of light into to hold tightly.
Change thin into what you are after a bath.
Change a chance into courage.