Communicating Mathematics III (MATH 3131) 2017-18


Magical Mathematics

David Cushing and Anne Taormina

Description

This project will be led by David Cushing. There are many card tricks based on deep mathematical principles from a variety of areas. For example de Bruijn sequences have attracted a lot of research with applications to coding theory and the 'rotating drum problem'. Another example is the Gilbreath principle which describes which structures of a deck are preserved under certain shuffles. The study of shuffling in general has been studied in many research papers, see particularly the work of Diaconis and Graham, and uses many ideas from group theory and number theory. These example, and more, are discussed in the book `Magical Mathematics' by P. Diaconis and R. Graham. This book is a great gateway into the world of applying deep mathematics to produce very foolworthy card tricks. However it is just a small selection of possible directions this project could take as there are many examples of mathematics being used in this way.

Resources

Some recommended references on this topic are
  • P. Diaconis and R. Graham: Magical Mathematics , Princeton University Press, 2012

  • M. Gardner: Mathematics, Magic and Mystery , Dover Publication, inc. New York, 1956

  • C. Mulcahy: Mathematical card magic: 52 new effects , CRC Press, 2013

After having made themselves familiar with the standard sources, the students will specialise and read and study original research articles related to their topics. For further information feel free to contact me on:

email: D Cushing