Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will learn some fun science concepts related to magic tricks and understand the science behind them.
Materials and Prep
- A deck of playing cards
- A small plastic cup
- A coin
- A clear glass
- A pencil
- A piece of paper
- Some water
- A small mirror
- A small magnet
- A flashlight
- A small piece of aluminum foil
No prior knowledge is required for this lesson.
Activities
- Activity 1: Floating Card Trick - Learn how to make a playing card float in mid-air.
- Activity 2: Disappearing Coin - Make a coin disappear and reappear using a plastic cup.
- Activity 3: Water Refraction - Explore how light bends when it passes through water using a clear glass.
- Activity 4: Magic Pencil - Make a pencil appear to bend using an optical illusion.
- Activity 5: Invisible Ink - Write secret messages using lemon juice and reveal them with heat.
- Activity 6: Magnetic Magic - Perform tricks with a magnet to make objects move without touching them.
- Activity 7: Shadow Theater - Create shadow puppets using a flashlight and a small piece of aluminum foil.
Talking Points
- "Magic tricks often involve science principles that make them seem impossible."
- "In the floating card trick, the air pressure and Bernoulli's principle help the card stay afloat."
- "When we make a coin disappear using a plastic cup, it's actually just hiding inside the cup."
- "Water refraction is when light bends as it passes from air to water, making objects appear shifted."
- "The magic pencil trick uses an optical illusion called 'mirage' to make the pencil look like it's bending."
- "Lemon juice is an example of invisible ink that becomes visible when heated because of a chemical reaction."
- "Magnets have invisible forces that can attract or repel objects without touching them."
- "Shadow theater uses light and the reflection of light to create shadow images on a surface."