User Manual
ADDITIONAL TRICKS
to cast a spell on the sixth toothpick to imbue it with
some of your magical force so it will be able to break
apart the pentagon.
Take out the sixth toothpick (the one that was dipped
in dish soap) and wave your hand over it while chang-
ing some magical words. Close your eyes and
frown a bit so it looks like you’re working on putting
your magic into the toothpick. Now, dip the magical
toothpick into the center of the pentagon (make sure
you dip the soapy end in the water and try to get it as
close to the center of the shape as possible – the soap
shouldn’t be visible anymore.) The ve toothpicks
will y apart.
If you have a non-believer in the audience, oer to
let them try the trick. Arrange the pentagon in the
water again and hand them the magic toothpick. Let
them dip it in the center. It won’t work! If the audi-
ence asks you to do the trick a second time, just tell
them that it takes awhile to recharge your magical
force. You have to rest before you can put more of it
into a toothpick, otherwise you could lose your magic
forever!
SECRET: This is a trick of science. All things
(including water) are made up of tiny things called
molecules. Water molecules like each other and
stick together. That’s why when a bit of water falls
on a table or window, it blobs together in a little
droplet. The surface of the water has a layer of clingy
molecules on it – this layer is called the water’s
surface tension. The toothpicks were nice and at so
they were oating on this layer. Remember that we
dipped the sixth toothpick in dish soap? That’s the
real secret to this trick. The soap molecules break the
surface tension of the water.
This eect spreads out in an ever widening ring (like
ripples in the water when you through a rock into the
lake. The molecules originally holding the toothpicks
break apart. The molecules farther away from where
you dipped the toothpick still have their surface
tension (for a little longer) so they pull the toothpick
toward them. Of course, eventually the “ripples” of
soap hit those molecules too. Once the soap is in the
water, the surface tension won’t come back. That’s
why the audience member couldn’t recreate the trick.
It will only work once and then you have to clean
everything up and use new toothpicks to do the trick
a second time. That’s also why you have to be careful
that your pan is well rinsed before you do the trick.
PEPPER TRICK
EFFECT: Magician has cup with pepper and water.
Volunteer puts ngers in water trying to separate the
pepper. This will not work. Magician puts ngers in
water and the water separates.
SUPPLIES: Water, Soap, Pepper, Cup (make sure
there is a sink nearby so volunteer can wash hand)
SECRET: Put water in a cup then regular pepper. Be-
fore show, rub soap on your ngers (this will separate
the pepper.) Your audience will have no idea that
soap is on your hand. Make sure not to use too much
or your audience might see soap bubbles in the water.
SUGAR CUBE TRICK
EFFECT: The magician asks for a volunteer from the
audience. The volunteer picks a number between 1
and 10. The magician writes the number on a sugar
cube. The magician drops the cube into a cup of
water and holds the volunteer’s hand over the water.
He/she turns the volunteer’s hand over and POOF! The
number is on the volunteer’s hand.
SUPPLIES: a pencil (must be a pencil, a pen will NOT
work, a sugar cube (you can have several for eect) a
glass of water.
SECRET: Have the volunteer pick a number. Write it
onto the sugar cube with a pencil (press hard).
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