muflax comments on Magic Tricks Revealed: Test Your Rationality - Less Wrong

31 Post author: peter_hurford 13 August 2011 05:23AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 13 August 2011 11:42:57AM 7 points [-]

I've recently enjoyed Penn & Teller's show Fool Us, in which other magicians attempt to fool them. I found it lots of fun to try to figure out how the tricks might work (and if you google a bit, you can find complete explanations). It's enlightening to go through the stages of "Impossible! It must be some kind of editing!", "They are normal human beings. There must be some way...", "Well, maybe that works... but that's really complicated..." to "Of course! It's really easy!".

(The same goes for discussions about the tricks. "Nah, it could never be done that way! That's ridiculous!" "Here's a screenshot that proves it." "Oh.")

Comment author: Pavitra 14 August 2011 01:32:15AM 0 points [-]

I'm interested in your reaction to this trick. (about 4:10 to 6:10)

Comment author: [deleted] 14 August 2011 11:54:04AM *  0 points [-]

Rot13'ed, just in case.

V'z abg fher jul lbh'er vagrerfgrq va zl ernpgvba gb guvf cnegvphyne gevpx (gur rssrpg vf n ovg haqrejuryzvat), ohg V'yy whfg tb guebhtu zl jubyr gubhtug cebprff urer, fb lbh pna cvpx bhg jungrire lbh jnagrq.

V'z hasnzvyvne jvgu zntvpvna'f jnk, fb V whfg nffhzr vg'f yvxr abezny jnk. Gryyre jnezf vg hc gb znxr vg fgvpx naq oraqf gur pneq rabhtu gung vg jvyy ubyq ba whfg oneryl. Vg'f pyrne gung jura ur chyyf gur "guernq", ur nyfb chfurf qbja ba gur gnoyr jvgu gur bgure unaq naq chyyf njnl jvgu uvf guhzo.

Zl svefg thrff jnf gung ur tvirf gur gnoyr n yvggyr chfu gb znxr gur pneq whzc hc, ohg gung frrzf haeryvnoyr. Vg'f qbar va n fghqvb, fb V thrff gurl pbhyq tb guebhtu rabhtu gnxrf hagvy gurl trg vg whfg evtug, ohg gung'f abg C&G'f fglyr.

Nyfb, gur ivqrb vf gbb hapyrne gb gryy vs gurer rira vf nal jnk ng nyy, ohg gur xvq jbhyq pregnvayl frr vg ng gung qvfgnapr, naq znlor vs lbh sbyq gur pneq evtug be whfg hf n yvggyr ovg bs fcvggyr, lbh pbhyq rira qb jvgubhg vg, ohg gung'f rira zber haeryvnoyr.

V jngpu gur jubyr ivqrb ntnva, abgvpvat gung gur tynff pbhagre unf n fbzr oynpx pbire ba vg naq Craa'f nez arire zbirf njnl sebz vg. Nyfb, Gryyre chfurf gur pneq qbja va n jrveq jnl, fb ur cebonoyl cnyzf vg naq cynprf n cer-sbyqrq bar. Ur pregnvayl pna trg evq bs gur jnk gung jnl. Svanyyl, gurer'f cebonoyl fbzrguvat jvgu gur qrpx, znlor n fcevat zrpunavfz, gung Gryyre gevttref jvgu uvf yrsg unaq, znlor guebhtu n guernq Craa uvq jvgu uvf nez gur jubyr gvzr. Be n ohggba haqrearngu gur cvrpr bs pybgu. Be rira rnfvre, Craa gevttref vg bhg bs fvtug.

N fcevat jbhyq or n ovg gevpxl gb frg hc (naq gb uvqr nsgrejneqf jvgubhg znxvat bgure pneqf whzc), ohg qbnoyr. Znlor gur qrpx unf n gval ubyr va vg, n guernq tbvat guebhtu vg naq vf tyhrq gb gur gbc pneq, juvpu Gryyre sbyqf hc jura cnyzvat gur bgure bar. Craa gura chyyf gur guernq guebhtu gur qrpx jvgu uvf bss-fperra unaq, abguvat ubyqf gur pneq qbja, vg whzcf hc naq n ovg bs tyhr be jnk erznvaf. Abg fher juvpu irefvba vf rnfvre gb qb. Gur frpbaq bar vf zrnare orpnhfr vg unf vagragvbany snxr zvfqverpgvba sbe gur xvq gb abgvpr (Gryyre'f yrsg unaq), fb V yrna gbjneqf gung zrgubq. (Nyfb, gung jbhyq tvir gur gevpx frireny ynlref bs zvfqverpgvba, juvpu svgf sebz n zrgn crefcrpgvir naq rkcynvaf jul lbh oebhtug vg hc. Gheaf vg vg'f zber vagrerfgvat guna V vavgvnyyl gubhtug.)

Fb va gbgny, Gryyre cynprf jnk, qryvorengryl arire fubjf gur pneq pyrneyl, cnyzf naq ercynprf vg, cynprf n frpbaq, cer-sbyqrq bar (znlor jvgu fbzr fcvggyr) ba n snxr qrpx, gevttref n fcevat be chyyf n guernq guebhtu gur qrpx, "Vf guvf lbhe pneq?". Gur xvq pna arire ercebqhpr vg naq V jebgr gbb zhpu nobhg vg.

(Naq Craa'f unve. Jbj. Gung'f gur erny zntvp va guvf ivqrb.)

Comment author: Pavitra 15 August 2011 12:30:29AM 1 point [-]

This is the (possibly true) explanation of the trick that P&T gave in Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends:

Jura Craa jnf va gur guebrf bs jevgvat gur "Vaivfvoyr Guernq" fubeg fgbel, ur pnzr gb zr bar qnl naq nfxrq zr vs V xarj bs n gevpx gung jbhyq fvzhyngr gur cerfrapr bs vaivfvoyr guernq va gur cvgpu. Ab fhpu gevpx rkvfgrq. "Qbrf vg unir gb jbex?" V fnvq.

"Bs pbhefr abg. Vg whfg unf gb or cynhfvoyr." Fb nsgre n yvggyr qvfphffvba jr pnzr hc jvgu gur vqrn bs gur pneq jvgu gur oraq, uryq syng ntnvafg gur qrpx ol n onyy bs jnk, juvpu riraghnyyl eryrnfrf jura gur jnk tvirf bhg. Jr gevrq vg. Vg qvqa'g jbex. Gur pneq jbhyq ybfr gur oraq. Be gur jnk jbhyqa'g fgvpx. Be vg jbhyq fgvpx gbb jryy. Ohg vg fhvgrq gur fgbel whfg svar. Naq gurer jnf fbzrguvat arng nobhg rira gur gevpx oruvaq gur gevpx orvat zlguvpny.

Yngre, jura jr qrpvqrq gb nqncg gur fubeg fgbel nf n svyz fpevcg, jr jebgr gur gevpx vagb gur fgntr qverpgvbaf, whfg nf gubhtu vg rkvfgrq. Abobql dhrfgvbarq vg. Vg jnf gur cebqhpre'f svefg cebwrpg jvgu hf naq ur nffhzrq jr xarj jung jr jrer qbvat. Vg jnf bayl nsgre jr jrer jryy vagb cer-cebqhpgvba gung jr ernyvmrq gung n pnzren jbhyq unir gb cubgbtencu gur Vaivfvoyr Gernq ebhgvar, v.r., jr'q npghnyyl unir gb qb vg.

Fb jr unq gb purng.

Vs lbh rire frr gur "Vaivfvoyr Guernq" ba ivqrb, jngpu pnershyyl. Lbh'yy abgvpr gung gurer vf n pnzren phg orgjrra gur npgvba bs fubjvat gur orag pneq orvat chg ba gbc bs gur qrpx naq gur zbzrag gung vg cbcf hc. Orgjrra fubgf jr fjvgpurq va n tvzzvpxrq cnpx bs pneqf. Gur gbc pneq jnf ybnqrq hc jvgu orag fcevat fgrry gb tvir vg n tbbq whzc. Gur erfg bs gur cnpx jnf nyy tyhrq gbtrgure va n oybpx naq unq n ubyr qevyyrq guebhtu vg. Gurer jnf n fubeg cvrpr bs svfuyvar gung ena sebz gur zvqqyr bs gur gbc pneq guebhtu gur ubyr va gur cnpx, naq ubbxrq bagb n jver haqre gur erq cnq ba gur pbhagre. gung jver, va ghea, jnf gvrq gb n fgevat, juvpu Craa chyyrq ba phr juvyr ur fnvq uvf yvarf.

Lbh qba'g frr gur svfuyvar naq fgrry ba gur snpr bs gur pneq jura V ubyq vg hc gb Jnyyl orpnhfr, nf V cvpx vg hc, gur pneq qebcf bhg bs ivrj orybj gur ybjre rqtr bs gur gryrivfvba cvpgher vagb gur unaq bs n jnvgvat cebc zna, jub vafgnagyl fhofgvghgrf n cynva orag pneq jvgu n yvggyr jnk va gur zvqqyr.

Yngre jr sbhaq bhg gung fbzr zntvp-fgber bjaref unq pbagnpgrq gurve fhccyvref, vadhvevat jurgure "Vaivfvoyr Guernq, nf Frra Ba GI" jnf ninvynoyr. Jurerire Noare-Pnqnoen Zvyfgrva vf, V org ur'f cebhq.

Va bgure jbeqf, gur pbeerpg nafjre vf gung vg'f vzcbffvoyr naq vg zhfg or fbzr xvaq bs rqvgvat.

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