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How to Perform a Magic Trick Using Refraction

You're in a bar with nothing to cling onto but an empty mug and some coins in your pocket when that devastatingly attractive person you've been glancing at all night finally locks eyes with you. You need an icebreaker, and magic might be the trick. Go straight to that person and bet him his phone number that your mug can swallow your last quarter whole. You'll win the bet thanks to the phenomenon of refraction, but, if your audience doesn't find the physics of deflected light waves alluring, then the real illusion might be the digits scrawled on your palm.

Things You'll Need

  • Coin
  • Clear glass
  • Water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Consider your audience members' perspective. Their line of sight to your performance space needs to be unobstructed.

    • 2

      Follow the audience's angled-down line of sight to the performance space (the table or bar). Place a coin where the audience's line of sight would intersect the surface at a 45 degree angle. This distance will probably be 2 to 3 feet away from where your audience sits.

    • 3

      Place a clear and empty glass on top of the coin. Step back and examine the setup. Make sure that the coin is indeed visible.

    • 4

      Address the audience members. Draw their attention to the glass and coin.

    • 5

      Pour water into the glass. Fill it full and the coin will appear to disappear.

    • 6

      Give your audience no definitive answer when, inevitably, they ask, "How'd you do that?" Magicians have to remain mysterious. Say something like, "The water in this town is just potent"; then toss back the glass of water and take your coin back.

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Illusions

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