The Magic Math Trick That Fools Everyone!

Thanks so much to The Rest is Science Channel on YouTube for featuring our wooden swords! You can head over to their channel or scroll down to watch it now

The Swords of Truth is an astounding magic trick done with math. This is our design based on math magic from the book, the “Collected works of Alex Elmsley” by Stephen Minch. The 8 different alder wood swords are very cool and give the trick a nice flair. Each sword has 6 different numbers on it. (48 different numbers in total are used by all swords). Each sword is about 5 1/2" long and 1/4" thick. They will come on strung on a chain for your convenience, or they can be easily separated as shown in the photo. Let a spectator select one of the swords and then a number on that sword, keeping that number a secret. You can even have up to 8 people select a sword at random.  You then have them simply indicate the shapes (square or circle) surrounding the numbers on the sword, but they must lie about the shape surrounding the number they chose. At no time do they say aloud any numbers and at no time during the trick are you able to see the swords. Astonishingly, you will be able to correctly name the number(s) chosen.  I will not reveal the details of the math secrets here, but as a hint, simple binary codes are established when they tell you the shapes and you will easily be able to determine the number. This is a GREAT fun item at gatherings. I think 12 years old and up can do this, perhaps younger if a bit advanced for their age. It's a good item for math teachers also, as it demonstrates in a fun way the use of binary math.

Designed and made in Spring Hill, FL