Making Things Right by Michael Weber

 

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T . .. MICHAEL WE ER

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PLE SE NOTE All legal owners o f original copies o f these notes have the right t o perform these effects presentations and methods in non-recorded non-broadcast non-ticketed live performance settings

o n

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o one is permitted t o manufacture sell teach

lecture translate o r otherwise use demonstrate display vary translate o r discuss the contents. All broadc broadcast ast narr narrowca owcast st intern internet et intranet You Tube o r us use e in lect lecture ure speech t a lk and any an y and all all other uses are strictly withheld b y the author nd permission for all other uses throughout the Universe b y anyone other than the author must otherwise be obtained in writing from the author first. Be nice.

Play fair. Thanks much. [email protected] © 2015 Michael Weber

 

  akingThings Right You may recognize the man in this picture. History tells us that he failed math as a child, but most agree that he made up for it has

of

of

la late terr on in life. Everyone Everyone heard tivity, but few are aware o f his equal equally ly impor iEinstein's mportan tantt Theory Theory Theory o fRelaMaking Things Right. I t is explained on the back o f this photo. The performer places a stack o f coins on the th e table. There are are only six coins here, but there are 72 720 0 di diff ffer eren entt wa ways t o arrange them. What this suggests is that i f you needed these coins t o be in one specific order, the odds against you would be overwhelming. The participant is directed t o place the coins on a paper napkin and t o pair the coins such that no two similar coins are together. After mixing order o f the pairs, the participant arranges them t o form a single, left to right row. he participant divides the pairs t o create two rows o f three coins, one above the other. Every step along the way, the participant makes every decision and is the only person t o touch the coins. he performer folds one edge o f the napkin so i t covers one row o f coins and leaves the other three coins exposed. he photograph is now turned over t o reveal an unusual and powerful diagram depicting four fixed and unvarying exchanges. The participant follows the instructions, first switching the exposed coins in the first and second positions. Following the second diagram, the participant now exchanges the coins in the first and third positions. A t this point, the performer may carefully lift the edge o f the napkin t o reveal the fact that even though all three coins have been moved t o different positions, none o f the six

coins

is

paired with its mate.

 

The cover s replaced and the participant s directed t o complete the remaining exchanges exchanges:: switc switching hing the coins a t positions two and three, then those a t one and two. What I find find remark remarkable able and reassuring, s that n o matter which o f the 719 arrangements you might begin wit with, h, the Professor's strange little drawing shows us that there s always a way t o make things right. So saying, the performer directs a quick breath o f air at the folded edge o f the napkin, causing it t o open and reveal that the coins are now paired perfectly n exactly the order dictated by the participant's actions and choices.

Method Although there are truly 720 different dif ferent ways to arrange six objects, there are effectively only two starting positions for the three mismatched pairs o f coins and the fact that the special diagram can

b e viewed n two different orientations it w ll alw always ays direct the rearrangement and perfect pairing o f the three sets o f coins.

The Diagram This

s the most

basic form o f the diagram. Draw four rows o f

rectangles, and bisect each rectangle with a horizontal like t o indicate that each rectangle

s made

Add the double arrows as

up o f upper and lower parts.

drawing.

E ~ H

Note that there s a small dot

t

shown t o complete the

that s drawn into four specific

halves t o provide a quick visual cue as t o the correct

I

i

o f the coins.

B

lr

I ~

orientation o f the diagram

based o n the starting position

I

f

1

II

1

I

I I

 

  eep in mind that th at while this example example uses coins you can use shoe sh oes s sugar packet packets s al almo most st any collec col lectio tion n o f objects.

Determining the of the Diagram

orrect Orientation

To determine the correc correctt orientation orientation look loo k at the coin coin in the lower

central position and and then loo l ook k at the coins coins in in the u upp pper er right rig ht and and upper left positions. f your participant participant has followed instructions the matching coin can only be in one o f those two places. Look at the diagram and find the image where the locations o f the two small dots match the locations o f the two similar coins and rotate the card so this becomes becomes the starting image. Before Before showing showi ng the diagram t o your participant participant fold over the upper o r lower edge edge o f the napkin t o cover the row o f coins t o which the arrows are NOT pointing. You are now ready t o reveal the diagram t o the participant and indicate the correct way t o fo follllow ow the st step eps. s.

 

 

Two

xamples

In this configuration configu ration the coin coin in the centr central al position o f the lower row matche matches s the coin coin in the left le ft position position o f the upper row. When the coins are arranged in this way you will orient orien t the diagram so the arrows arrows point to the bottom row. This means th t the coins in the upper row will be covered by the folded napkin edge and the coins in the lower row will be the ones exchanged according t o the arrows on the diagram. A

This starting arrangement shows the coin in the lower central position matches the coin in the upper right. In this example example the th e matching orientation o f the diagram shows us th t the napkin will cover the lower row and the coins in the upper row will those B

th t are exchanged.

 

  reparation Draw the diagram on the back o f the enclosed photograph. Draw i t sidewa sideways ys across across the th e bottom half o f the back o f the photo un derneath dernea th the writing wr iting on the upper half half.. You can also draw the diagram on the back o f your business card o r mos mostt any piece piece o f paper. Be mindful o f the orientation o f the writing printing o r ima images ges on the opposite opposite nonnon-diag diagram ram side side o f the paper. I t is useful t o be able t o use any image on the upper surface as an indicator o f the correct way t o orie orient nt the diagram.

erformance Remove o r borrow some coins. coins. Create a stack o f six coins which contains two each o f three different diffe rent denominations. I t is visually helpful t o select coins o f different diameters and metals. For ex ample I like using a larg larger er and smaller silver silver c coin oin and and a co copp pper er coin which is different from the silver coins in both size and value. Set the stack o f coins on a small cocktail napkin. I unfold the nap kin once t o create a tall rectangle with the stack positioned in the center. Ask the participant t o mix the coins and then create a left toright row o f th thre ree e pairs pairs such such that each pair is made-up o f two unmatched coins. The participant is able t o mix the coins and the position o f the pairs as long as no two matching coins are placed together. When all the mixing is concluded direct the participant partici pant t o divide the pairs into two rows o f thr three ee maintaining maintain ing the two conditions that 1 the upper and lower rows each cont contain ain only one o f each coin and 2 2 the coins above and below each other in all three positions must not match.

 

9 Although it may be over doing things, it is possible t o allow the participant t o exchange the positions o f any o r all o f the sets o f abov above e and be belo low w pai pairs. rs. Once all the mixing has concluded, and you have double checked the two conditions as above, you must make a quick vis ual assessment. Check the coin in the lower central position and determine whether the mate is located in the upper right o r u p per left le ft position. As soon as you identify the correct orientation o f the diagram diagram,, fold th the e uppe upperr o r lower edge o f the napkin t o cover the row o f coins that will not be exchanged (the covered row will be the coins t o which the arrows are NOT pointing on the diagra diagram.) m.) You

have looked at the coins and identified the correct orienta

tion for the diagram and covered the correct row o f coins with the edge o f the napkin. Now is the time t o reveal the diagram and position i t correctly on the table beside the napkin. Begin ning with the top diagram, aid the participant as he makes the first two exchanges indicated. After the first two exchanges, none o f the coins in the upper and lower rows will match, so you can briefly unfold the napkin t o show that the coins were mixed, and are continuing t o be mixed into int o new an and d n nonon-ma tchin ing g or order ders. s. Re Refo fold ldt o themake napkin the untouched row andmatch direct your participant the over last two exchanges. excha nges. Blow a qu quic ick k puff o f air at the free edge o f the folded portion o f the napkin which will cause it to instantly fly open and reve re veal al ttha hatt everything has been made right.

istory y first encounter with the effect o f a diagra diagram m th that at could cor

rectly indicate the re-pairing o f mixed objects was Joining

he

Paul

Curry's

Ladies on page 35 o f his 1977 book Special Ef

fects. fect s. Cur Curry ry offered a ton tongu gue-i e-in-c n-chee heek k presentation abo about ut three assistants who were sawn in halves but were not restored cor-

 

rectly; the rectly; th e upp u pper er and and lower low er halv halves es not matching. The great things about abo ut Curry s meth m ethod od were the appealing effect and and the secr secret et use o f marked cards, so the mixing and pairing could be down with the cards face-down. The not so great things things about a bout Mr. Mr. Curry Cur ry s offer o ffering ing were were the t he use o f cards cut in half with wit h pinking shears (why must every new principle be applied t o playing cards?) and the fact that several errors in the description meant that the effect was not performable as explained. After many frustrating attempts t o determine and correct his error, I found it easier t o sim simply ply use his diagram as my starting point and rebuild a working method from the bottom up. Ot her creators shared Other shared my simultaneous frustration and fascina tion with the Curry offering, including four notable variations well worth your exploration: Richard Vollmer s he Matchmaker s Chart in the May 1993 issue o f Apocalypse magazine, an eight-card, four pair variation o f Curry s diagrammatic matching effect. 1

A variation o f Vollmer s approach appears in the June 1993 issue o f the same magazine.

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Philil Goldstein Ph Goldst ein s

UTOMIX

can be found on page 113 o f his

1994 ook Thabbatical. This is his fixed and ingenious version o f the original origin al Curry effect effect.. Goldstein s AUTONOM/X, appearing on page 118 o f the above book, is a well-crafted version o f the Vollmer variation.

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Presentational Scaling Making Things Right is one o f my favorite favorite go to pieces o f infor mall conversational wonder ma won der-ma -makin king. g. In my decad decades es o f experi mentation with the effect, I have found a few alternative ways o f presenting i t in larger settings.

The Un ixologist Three covered objects sit side by side atop at table o r bar. Rest ing on each o f the covered objects are three different cocktail garnishes: A green olive on a toothpick, a maraschino cherry on a small paper parasol and a small stalk o f celery. differ ent order, The covered objects are mixed into a row o f a different and then each garnish is moved t o a new new position atop one o f the other covered objects. The Mixologist diagram is introduced and the garnish are ex changed in accordance with wi th the images. images. When the th e three thre e cov cover ers s (cloth napkins) are removed, i t is revealed that the diagram has correctly paired paired the th e right cocktail with its perfect garnish: The cherry and parasol with a Mai Tai the olive for a Martini and the celery with a Bloody Mary.

Un ixed

arriages

Three couples are invited t o participate in a brief brie f round o f low impact partner swapping. The three ladies stand in a row, each back-to-back back-toback with a man man who is not her mate. A large version o f the diagram is displayed, with three W's indicating the positions o f the women and three M's indicating the location o f the men. After the first two rounds o f switches, the couples are allowed t o check and confirm that the they y are are not matched with their mates. The last two exchanges are made and the ladies are asked t o close their eyes and turn around t o face the men. The men are told t o kiss the woman with whom he has been paired on the

 

count o f three. Despite the laughs and tension in the room, all the pairs have been correctly re-paired. The extra nice bit o f business worth ex plaining here is that

by redrawing the diagram with M's and W's in place o f the rectangles main tains the rotational functionality o f the image because the letters M and are the same letterform in 180 degree rota tionally opposite positions.

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onus Effect The photograph o f Einstein is backed with the correct language for a fooling foolin g variation variation o f Jackpot Coins Coins o r The Trick That Fooled

Einstein. You You need 1.17 1.17 in in change cha nge (or (o r One Pound, 17 Pence. Pence.)) Make sure that you have a wide variety o f coins o f differing d e nominations. For example: with U.S. coins you might have three Quarters 75 cents) two Dimes (20 cents) three nickels 15 cents) and seven Pennies 7 cents) for a total o f 1.17.

Show your spectator the photograph o f Einstein while concealing the number 114 under your thumb. Set the picture image-side down on the table and ask your spectator t o remove some loose change from his pocket, any amount less than a dollar. Remove the th e 1.17 1.17 in your closed fist while the spectator decides on his

 

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final mount o f coins. Ask him t o count how much change he has (the total mount o f money, not the number o f coins) and then invite him t o read the first line o f writing on the back o f the photo - I have exa exact ctly ly as much as you. Because you know the tot l

mount the spectator is holding, you

can easily remove the correct coin t o perfect match the same t o tal. The easiest way wa y t o d o this is be removing the larger denomination coins first, then working your way down t o the smaller de nominations. Place your mount beside (but not mixed with) the spectator's coins. I also like t o have the spectator count his money into an empty coffee cup, so I can place m y matching mount beside his cup without any danger o f coming ling the funds. you have proved the first like correct, proceed by reading the second statement on the back o f the photo, Plus Plus 3 more Openly Open ly place place three pennies pennies from the change in your hand beside the coins on the table.

As

Ask the spectator t o read the las lastt line, line, And precisely precisely enou en ough gh left lef t over, when added t o yours, totals the mount on the board. Take Take the th e remaini rema ining ng coins in your hand and let them fall into the cup with the spectator's change change.. As Ask k the spectat spectator or t o is

in

is

count how much change now the cup. While the spectator counting, put away all the other change so there is no confusion

at the end o f the effect. effect. The The spectator specta tor will announce th t he holds $1.14 exactly. Re-read the last line once more, ending by repeating the mount o f cha change nge the spectator spe ctator just announce announced: d: $1. $1.14 14.. Inv Invite ite th the e specta tor t o tur turn n the picture over and and see th t the number Einstein wrote on the board is exactly equal t o the final mount o f money.

 

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All

everything im gin ble

and otherwise).

copyright

Michael Weber 199

1991

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