Delightful Deceptions: Stage Magic and Puzzle Design
(Room JW Grand Ballroom 8)
05 Jul 18
1:30 PM
-
2:45 PM
Mechanical puzzles draw concepts from two different sources. The first source is recreational mathematics, and the second is stage magic, at times combining influences from both sources. The link between the two sources is historic, and some early puzzle designers and collectors, such as Professor Hoffmann, were even stage magicians themselves. The relationship continues even to this day, with modern designers incorporating ideas from stage magic into their designs. In this presentation, we will not be revealing any stage magic tricks. Instead, I will be speaking about puzzles from the Jerry Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection to find the links between mechanical puzzle and stage magic. Through these puzzles, we will see how puzzle designers use ideas from stage magic to develop these diabolical brainteasers.