h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Magic Cups: A Simple Magic Trick - A8793219
Author: Orange A (formerly known as DunlopVolley) - U1519086


Abracadabra!

I like it!

"Puts the cups down quickly" -> "Put"

"It is necessary for the audinece to not be able to see into the cups."

"audience". Also, might it read better as "It is vital that the audience cannot see into the cups."

Just a thought.

A link to the Magic Cirlce website?

I'm just nit-picking now, great entry!

Thankyou, I've made the changes. What is the magic Circle?

The Magic Circle is the worldwide organisation for magicians.

http://www.themagiccircle.co.uk/

How exactly do you suggest I link it?

Further information?

Just add a line:

For further information about magic in general, check out the Magic Circle.

"Step 1: In front of your audience, place the other three pompoms onto a table, about seven or eight centimetres away from each other. Place one of the three cups on top of the pompoms, ensuring that the cup with a hidden pompom in goes in-between the other two cups. Putsthe cups down quickly so that the hidden pompom does not fall out, but don’t make this too obvious."

I found this a little hard to follow.

>>>Step 1: In front of your audience, place the other three pompoms onto a table, about seven or eight centimetres away from each other. Place one of the three cups on top of the each of the pompoms, ensuring that the cup with a hidden pompom in goes in-between the other two cups, ie in the middle. Put the cups down quickly so that the hidden pompom does not fall out, but don’t make this too obvious.

Is that right? The original makes it sounds like you put one of the cups over the 3 pompoms.

Good article.

This sounds like a good trick, but I don't understand it.

When you're preparing for the trick, do you stack the cups right way up or upside down?

When you're performing the trick, are the cups upside down?

There are a few spelling mistakes:

a bit of practise --> a bit of practice
non-see through --> non-see-through
Putsthe cups down --> Put the cups down

You might like to put the four steps in a numbered list instead of spelling out Step 1, Step 2 etc.

You do it like this:


the text of the first step
the text of the second step
the text of the third step
the text of the fourth step

Orange:

As popular and well-known as this trick is, I have to say that I don't believe that the guide is a place to tell magicians' secrets.

Most magicians won't reveal their secrets easily; except, perhaps, to potential students of the craft who might be inspired by knowledge of a few simple tricks. Those who do tell them too easily are often guilty of doing little more than spoiling the fun and wonder that people feel when watching a trick performed well.

People who really want to learn magic find that they appreciate it much more when they have to research, read, examine, and experiment; and even they probably would like to think that there's someone who doesn't already know how they're going to do it.

It's kind of like filling in someones crossword before they've had a chance to finish it, or telling someone the end of the movie or book. Secrets of the universe or arcane subjects like sex, religion, or politics, yes; but, magic? Poor form, I think.

Good luck, and thanks for allowing me to opine.

There are other magic trickas in the edited guide, and if you don't want to know the secret, don't read it!

I must admit I did expect that sort of response, but I do believe its EG material myself.

As for those corrections, changes, etc, I'll be fixing those soon. Will post when done.

Orange

I agree with Orange. It's obvious from the title what the entry is about, so if someone doesn't want to know, they simply don't read it.

All those changes have now been made (i think.)

I didn't add the magician's circle link, I didn't really think it was necessary.

Hopefully I have made the instructions clearer. If they seem a bit tricky to follow, please tell me and I'll try to clarify them further.

Thankyou everybody for your feedback so far,

Orange A

Very good, just one question.

How do i stop the hidden ball from dropping out the cup and rolling onto the floor, giving the trick away?

Maybe im just not meant to do magic..

Si

You need to do it quickly, but quietly, and don't make it obvious. If you do one quick and the others slowly it could look suspicious, so its best to do it all at the same speed.

How you doing on this one Orange A? It's looking good, did you add that info on how to prevent ball droppage?

MJ

I've read through this again, and it makes more sense now. Good entry. But you do need to listen to the suggestions made.

I have clarified the first step even further now. Hopefully it is quite clear.

As far as I know Gnomon, I have incorporated all the suggestions made, except for that regarding the link to the Magician's Circle. I remember reading once that EG entries shouldn't link to external links if they are not entirely necessary. Whilst I beleive it may interest some people, it does not make the entry any better in my opinion to have a link.

If there are any other suggestions that you think i have not taken enough notice of, please tell me specifically, and I will do my best to improve the entry.

Thankyou all very much form your feedback so far.

I'm happy to see that you're sticking to the most basic form of the trick; no oranges from beards, or any such. This level of explanation might actually get some people interested in trying their hand at legerdemain which cannot be an entirely bad thing.

For the sake of those who have never seen professional or retail cups-and-balls, youshould probably clarify:
Three non-see-through and identical plastic drinking cups which can stack on top of each other.

Perhaps something like:
The cups must stack without crushing the pom-poms, or creating a difference in the exposed areas of the cups beneath, as this is likely to give the trick away. They should also not be the type to stick firmly together with nested and tapped. Having to pull forcibly to get them apart could be both embarrasing and give away the existence of the fourth ball.
Or;
Professional and retail 'cups' have wider areas at their openings that extend far enough from the lip to allow them to fit over each other without crushing the 'balls' or being lifted by a ball hidden between them.

. . . . ._____
. . . . / . . . . \
. . . ./ . . . . . \
. . . / . . . . . . \
. ._/ . . . . . . . \_
. / . . . . . . . . . . .\
./______________\