How to Do a Cool Mathematical Mind Reading Trick

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand the math behind this trick.

   Clearly no matter what you start with, the answer should come out the same (zero isn't allowed).
   
   You can see why this trick works by using a little bit of high school algebra; if you follow the instructions starting with the variable X instead of an actual number, you will see that X is eliminated by adding the example's number 17 (see below). , The "original number" could be anything you want---someone's age, or their favorite number--- just ask the crowd for suggestions.
   
   This will change the final outcome, so test beforehand. , Keep it small so you can do computations in your head.
   
   Square it.
   
   Add the result to your original number.
   
   Divide by your original number.
   
   Add, oh, how about
   17.
   
   Subtract your original number.
   
   Divide by
   6.
   
   The number you are thinking of now is 3! , Using this idea, you can make up your own mental math trick right on the spot.
   
   Just don't do anything too obvious, such as telling people to add 5, subtract their original number, and say "the number you are thinking of is 5".
2. 2

   Step 2: Ham this trick up with magician's patter.

3. 3

   Step 3: Perform the trick: Think of a number

4. 4

   Step 4: any positive integer.

5. 5

   Step 5: Make your own magic number trick.

Detailed Guide

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