Science is Magic

6

HOW

THE

BOOK

WORKS

Ready to become a science magician?

Learn some amazing experiments

to wow your friends, find out

how magicians use science in their

most famous tricks, and discover

the magic of the world around you.

SCIENCE TRICKS

Most of the book^

is made up of cool

tricks, which are

really science

experiments.

Impress your

audience and

then explain the

science behind

the magic.

NOTE TO PARENTS

The activities in this book

may require adult help and

supervision, depending on your

child’s age and ability. Always

ensure that your child uses

tools that are appropriate for

their age, and offer help and

supervision as necessary to

keep them safe. The Publisher

cannot accept any liability for

injury, loss, or damage to any

property or user following

suggestions in this book.

The science behind each

trick is explained clearly.

Some tricks have

additional challenges.

8

9

Cut out a strip of paper

(^1) and give it a half-twist.
Glue or tape the ends together. You’ve just
2 made what’s called a Möbius loop.
Carefully cut the loop in half around the middle,
as shown above. What do you think will happen?
WARNING!
» Be careful when cutting
the loop with sharp scissors.
!
You now have one loop with two full
twists. You didn’t expect that, did you?
3
When you cut one piece of paper in half, how many pieces do you have? 4
Two? Not always! Challenge your friend to predict what will happen
when you cut this strange twist of
paper down the middle.
MÖ
BIUS
MA
GIC
What happens when you cut a normal loop in half?
A normal loop has two edges (colored red and blue here).
When you cut down the middle, you separate the edges to form two
pieces. But try to color the edges of the Möbius loop and you’ll see that
there’s only one! The twist you added at the beginning joins the end of one
edge to the beginning of the other.
NORMAL LOOP
MATH
PART...
THE
LOOPY DOUBLE-LOOP Make two normal loops (without the twist) and
glue them together as shown in the picture. Now cut both of them around their middles. The result
is really surprising. Try to predict what shape it will turn into before you start to cut!
NOW TRY THIS
...GET
S^ BIG
GER!
THE (^) L
OOP
(^) JU
ST...
Single edge on the loop
MÖBI
US^ LOOP
YOU WILL NEED

• 
  
  
  
  • PaperScissors
  
  
  
  


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