Some tricks never cease to fascinate me. Looking at a magician work his magic, I often find myself wondering, 'How does he do it?' It often seems that they are capable of doing things which defy all known laws of the universe. So, in a quest to uncover their well-known magical tricks, I've decided to seek out a more scientific angle to reveal that magic is not at all what it seems. Let's take a look:
Secret 1: Sawing a person in half
If you've watched a magic performance, you've likely seen this baffling trick. Reason tells us that the woman is not actually being sawed in half. So, how is this magic trick performed? As illustrated in the image, two assistants are placed at either end of the box - makes more sense now, doesn't it?Secret 2: The torn banknote
You may have wondered how David Copperfield managed to seemingly tear a folded dollar in half, yet upon unfolding it, the note had appeared to be completely undamaged. The secret lies in using a pencil, which has been cut in half diagonally and connected with two strong magnets. Consequently, this allows the banknote to be passed easily between the two magnetized halves, enabling the note to remain undamaged.Secret 3: Levitation
The levitation trick is highly popular among street magicians. Yet, their secret simply lies in the cleverly hidden support. In fact, next time you see a magician perform this trick, take note of how they are standing - they do so in a way that perfectly conceals the end of their staff or rod, which has an extended support passing through their clothes.Secret 4: The disappearing cup
In this trick, a glass of water is placed on a table. The glass is covered with a handkerchief. The magician lifts it up, throwing it into the air. The handkerchief falls on the floor, and the glass disappears. What you don't see is the wiring sewn into the handkerchief, creating the illusion that the glass is underneath. Meanwhile, the glass is lowered into a secret pouch through a hole in the table.Secret 5: The human 'zig-zag'
To a great extent, this trick depends on the magician's assistant, whose main task must be to maintain her feet and hands in a position similar to that of an ordinary upright human posture, however inside a very small and oddly-shaped box.Secret 6: Michael Jackson’s 'anti-gravity lean'
When Micheal Jackson and his performers performed that gravity-defying lean in his 1988, Smooth Criminal video, it may have appeared astounding how his entire body remained straight while bending his ankles at an acute 45-degree angle. Turns out that the secret here lies in the specially-designed shoes he used, which had a heel that locked into pegs on the floor. With his feet effectively hooked to the ground, he was able to perform what may have seemed like an impossible physical maneuver.
