To celebrate April Fool's Day, I
thought we would do an experiment which makes a fun trick. You will
need:
* a quarter * a dime * a pen or
marker * scissors * paper
If you don't have U.S. coins, try
this with a large coin and a small
one. Cut a square of paper about 3 inches by 3 inches. Place the dime
(small coin) in the center of the square and trace a circle around it.
Use the scissors to carefully cut out the circle, so that you have a
hole in the paper that is the same size as the dime.
Now, for the trick. I want you to
put the quarter (large coin) through
the hole, without tearing the paper. Simple, right? Wasn't that a fun
trick?.........
Oh, is there a problem? Can't get
the quarter through the hole? This is
where the trick (and the science) come in. If you leave the hole as it
is, you cannot get the quarter through it without tearing the paper. To
succeed, we need to use the science of topology, which is the study of
surfaces. We need to change the shape of the hole a bit. To do that,
fold the paper in half, across the center of the hold. Crease the paper
along the fold.
Hold the paper, with the fold and
hole at the bottom. Place the quarter
inside the folded paper, so it rests in the hole. It still won't go
through, but we are not finished yet. Grasp the bottom corners of the
paper between your fingers and thumbs. Bend the corners upwards and
away from the hole. This will cause the paper to flex and the hole will
stretch around the quarter, letting it fall through. We have not made
the hole bigger, we have just changed its shape a bit. Once you have
mastered this, then you are ready to use the science of topology to
trick your friends.
Back
to Krampf Index Including permission to post
these
experiments on my web site.
