Tricks with matches. Tricks with matches Scientific explanation of trick with forks on a match

To become a good magician, it is not necessary to know magic spells, learn the skill for many years of your life, or sign a contract with otherworldly forces. Dexterity in this matter also does not always take first place - it is enough to be observant, to have an idea about elementary laws and to amaze inexperienced observers with your ability to perform "miracles".

How tricks were born

The history of magic tricks goes back many centuries. They originated in Europe in the seventeenth century and were held solely to entertain the public and earn some extra money on this touching activity. Primitive manipulations were not carried out with voluminous objects. Usually props were coins, cards and other small details. To enhance the effect of the spectacle and divert the attention of the audience, the dodger uttered the magic words "hocus pocus", and then the audience was fascinated by even the most primitive actions with props. However, people did not treat all magicians positively, since communion with magic in the Middle Ages was punishable by the gallows or burning at the stake.

Delving into the history of tricks, we note that their first mention is associated with Ancient Egypt and Babylon - this is thousands of years ago BC! The ancient priests amazed with their tricks, guided by their brilliant knowledge of physics, mathematics and astronomy, so the witchcraft version of the origin of tricks disappears immediately.

The evolution of the phenomenon

Soon, ordinary magicians were replaced by illusionists. The concept of illusion refers, rather, to the process of charming, rather than deceiving the viewer, therefore, secondary objects are increasingly being used to divert attention: bright light, fire and sparks. The era of the development of illusionists refers to the seventeenth century and is associated with the name of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin.

Magic tricks became more spectacular in the nineteenth century, when human lives were threatened. Revolvers and other edged weapons were aimed at the magician, and his charming assistants had to get out of the aquarium with water in a certain time. The twentieth century is truly considered the apogee of the development of tricks, but after the Second World War, passions gradually began to subside. However, often in taverns several hundred years ago and still dodgers surprise the audience with simple tricks. Trick with matches does not require complex props. By following the movement of the magician's hand, the viewer controls all movements and eliminates any fraud.

Trick with matches - simplicity or genius?

The origin of match tricks can be attributed no earlier than the nineteenth century, since the first match was invented only in 1805 by the French chemist Jacques Chancel. However, earlier similar tricks could be performed with small wooden metal sticks. By carefully observing the movements of the hands of the master, you can guess for yourself with matches. The whole charm of the trick lies in its simplicity and accessibility, and today any such trick will amuse the company, and many can find a box of matches in their pockets.

Classics of the genre

The match and fork trick is a classic, but it only needs to be done indoors. It is enough to know the elementary laws of physics, and the trick is ready! You will need very simple props: a fork, a spoon and a match. A spoon with a fork must be connected and secured by inserting a match between the cloves of the fork. This design will be in balance on any surface.

Children's fun

No less relevant are with matches. They are simple, but some of them cannot even be disassembled by adults, having lost their childish thinking. You can invite the child to build a house out of eleven matches and turn it from right to left, performing the action with only two matches. Another equally difficult task will push the child to think. Ten matches are given and the condition is to get three of them. Smart children will immediately guess and lay out the word “three” from the matches, spending two matches on the first letter, five on the second, and three on the last. Thus, the condition was met, and at the same time it was not necessary to hide the matches somewhere to get "three".

Playing with fire

The greatest impression is always made by the trick with matches, which fulfill their main purpose - burning. Such manipulations require preliminary preparation and compliance with safety regulations.

In public, for greater effect, the sorcerer wears a hat and special clothes that will embellish appearance, and at the same time it will serve as an excellent hiding place for props. Imagine the spectacle: you hold a match in your right hand, light it once on the sole of your shoe, a second time, but without results. And then a lit match appears in his left hand ... Impressive, isn't it?

It is not difficult to reproduce such a miracle. The trick will require two matches: the first one must be tried to light on the sole of the shoe, and the second, secret, will be under the lining of the tailcoat, and its head should look out so that the magician can see it and at any moment be able to get it out of there. The most mysterious prop is a ring, which must first be glued together from a sulfur strip from a matchbox. While the right hand will try to light a match on the sole, on the opposite hand a ring will be put on the middle finger. And left hand should be constantly hidden somewhere in a tailcoat and be invisible to the viewer. Initially, the right hand will work, so you need to turn to the viewer with your right side. Now the climax of the trick: simultaneously with the right hand, the left hand pulls a match out of the cache, holding it with the thumb and forefinger. One movement of the hand on the ring, and the match is lit! This ingenious match trick will be of interest to both large and small audiences.

Matches and math

Some match fun can be quite primitive, but to make the trick more complex, interesting and exciting, they appeared with matches, for the implementation of which not so much manual dexterity is important as good wit, and sometimes also good hearing.

Two people are needed for the performance: an outsider and a magician. The magician asks the participant to get a box that can contain any number of matches, count their number (without voicing this number) and take away the number of matches, which is equal to the sum of the digits of this number. After that, the magician takes a box of matches, shakes it for several seconds and accurately names the number of matches remaining.

How did it happen? Enough to remember on 9 from math primary school: the difference between a number and the sum of its digits is always divisible by 9 without a remainder. It can be concluded that 9, 18, 27, 36 or 45 matches will remain in the box. It takes a little practice, and their number can be accurately determined by ear. This is the whole secret of the match trick.

Mind, sleight of hand, no cheating!

Illusionists, sorcerers and magicians are extremely talented people, but absolutely everyone can learn the basics of any trick. The whole theory has been worked out for centuries, only technique, presentation and props are being improved. Belief in miracles makes life more beautiful, but if every person continued to believe and observe so blindly, progress would be unusual for society.

Sophisticated viewers try to unravel the most incredible miracle, and then show it already in the circle of relatives and friends. It is almost impossible to unravel the trick by watching the illusionist's quick and dexterous movements. Turning some ideas into reality is also not feasible.

Do not constantly cling to the most difficult: pay attention to simple tricks with matches. Training will not seem difficult in this area, and it is not at all necessary to attend sessions in order to become a sorcerer to some extent. Surely the simple tricks described in the article have interested you, and you can conduct the first experiment even now. Nowadays, such primitive magic has become available, so why not take a chance and start surprising?

Two forks and a match - experience for balance

Children are very fond of all kinds of experiments and experiences. To maintain curiosity, you can show all sorts of tricks using improvised things. At the same time, the child develops an inquisitive mind, which in turn develops and maintains an interest in acquiring knowledge.

Two forks are held on the tip of a match, which, in turn, rests on the edge of a wooden stick with the other end.

Why don't they fall?

For the experiment you will need: two forks and a match.

We connect two forks together.
We insert the tip of the match into the junction of the forks, and put the other end on the edge of the wooden stick.
We set fire to the tip of the match, which hangs from the edge of the stick.

Bottom line: two forks are held on the tip of a match, which, in turn, stands on the edge of a wooden stick with the other end.

In the video, we see a classic example of "focus" with a center of mass. In childhood, many probably had a toy tumbler, which, despite the fact that all bodies tend to fall, on the contrary, did not want to fall, and returned to its vertical position whenever you deflected it from it. Everyone knows that the secret of this toy is that its mass is concentrated at the bottom, or, scientifically speaking, the center of mass is below the center of curvature of the base.
The center of mass is such a physical abstraction. When on solid acts, for example, gravity, then it is applied to each of its parts. But it turns out that absolutely nothing will change if we imagine that all this force is applied to one single point - the center of mass. Finding it is not difficult. It is necessary to add up all the masses that make up the body multiplied by their coordinates and divide by the total mass.

If you deviate the tumbler a little from the equilibrium position, then the center of curvature will remain at the same height as it was, that's why it is the center of curvature (this is, as it were, the center of the sphere, which is the base of the toy). But the center of mass will become a little higher, which means that gravity will return the toy back.

In the video you see a similar situation. Two forks and a toothpick form a solid body. He has somewhere the center of mass, and there is a fulcrum. The forces of gravity will tend to bring the body into such a position that the center of mass is as low as possible, this can be achieved if it is located exactly under the fulcrum.

In our case, it so happened that the center of mass does not geometrically belong to the body, this happens if the body has a bizarre shape, and therefore its equilibrium position seems a little strange.

Here is another question related to this topic. Does the Earth revolve around the Sun or does the Sun revolve around the Earth?

In fact, both of these answers are wrong, but the correct answer is: they revolve around a common center of mass, which, it must be said, is almost the same as the center of the Sun (due to its huge mass). But for binary stars this remark is very important.

Two forks are held on the tip of a match, which, in turn, rests on the edge of a wooden stick with the other end.

Why don't they fall?

For the experiment you will need: two forks and a match.

We connect two forks together.

We insert the tip of the match into the junction of the forks, and put the other end on the edge of the wooden stick.

We set fire to the tip of the match, which hangs from the edge of the stick.

Bottom line: two forks are held on the tip of a match, which, in turn, stands on the edge of a wooden stick with the other end.

In the video, we see a classic example of "focus" with a center of mass. In childhood, many probably had a toy tumbler, which, despite the fact that all bodies tend to fall, on the contrary, did not want to fall, and returned to its vertical position whenever you deflected it from it. Everyone knows that the secret of this toy is that its mass is concentrated at the bottom, or, scientifically speaking, the center of mass is below the center of curvature of the base.
The center of mass is such a physical abstraction. When, for example, gravity acts on a solid body, it is applied to each of its parts. But it turns out that absolutely nothing will change if we imagine that all this force is applied to one single point - the center of mass. Finding it is not difficult. It is necessary to add up all the masses that make up the body multiplied by their coordinates and divide by the total mass.

Here is another question related to this topic. Does the Earth revolve around the Sun or does the Sun revolve around the Earth?