Question
And Now for My Next Trick…
News: Science Scene
Dr. Gustav Kuhn begins his talk with a magic act. A wand seems to disappear. Small red balls vanish from his fingers. A moment later, the balls show up under two cups. Then the balls appear to turn into lemons. The audience gasps, laughs, and claps.
Kuhn has performed magic since age 13. But today he does it in the name of science. He is a professor of psychology. He leads a science lab. His team studies how people see and understand magic tricks. These scientists hope to better understand the human brain.
"Magicians have developed powerful psychological tricks," Kuhn explained.
Tricks of the Magic Trade
A magic act can be astounding. Still, it is a performance with a clear explanation. Fantasy stories and movies may be filled with magic. In the real world, though, there is no way to bend the laws of science. No one can truly read a person's mind. You cannot make someone disappear in a puff of smoke.
How do magicians fool people into thinking these things are happening? Some magicians work with special props. For example, they may have hidden pockets or fake thumbs to hide objects. Many magicians perform card tricks using special card decks. Still others use high-tech gadgets to secretly gather information. These tricks can make it seem like they can read minds.
Magicians must have many talents. The most important ones are quick fingers and quicker thinking. Even the easiest trick takes hours of practice to get right. Magicians also need great concentration. They must think fast, move fast, and talk fast.
The Psychology of Magic
According to Kuhn, magic relies on psychology—how people see and understand magic tricks. Researchers at his lab use eye-tracking technology. It measures what people see and don't see while watching a trick. The researchers use other tools to study how the brain reacts to illusions.
Kuhn and the other scientists have learned many things. They have found that the human brain cannot pay attention to many things at once. When a lot is happening, people concentrate on what seems most important. They often don't notice what else is happening.
Magicians know this and use it to make magic work. Some tricks happen so quickly that the brain can't figure out what happened. Magicians also distract the audience with fast talking and fast movements. Then the audience only notices what the performer wants them to see.
The science of magic has helped explain more about how the human mind works. It is pretty easy to trick the brain. But knowing that a trick isn't really magic doesn't make it any less magical to see.
Think about and discuss these questions:
What three words from the article would you use in an ad for a magic show? Why?
What magic trick would you like to have explained? What do you think might be the key to the trick?
Video credit: British Movietone/AP
Question 2
2 / 8
Suppose you were writing a summary of the article. Which of these would be most important to put in the summary?
Some magic tricks are about seeming to read minds.
All magic acts take a lot of practice to perfect.
Some magicians use card decks to amaze audiences.
All magic tricks have a clear explanation.
News: Science Scene
Dr. Gustav Kuhn begins his talk with a magic act. A wand seems to disappear. Small red balls vanish from his fingers. A moment later, the balls show up under two cups. Then the balls appear to turn into lemons. The audience gasps, laughs, and claps.
Kuhn has performed magic since age 13. But today he does it in the name of science. He is a professor of psychology. He leads a science lab. His team studies how people see and understand magic tricks. These scientists hope to better understand the human brain.
"Magicians have developed powerful psychological tricks," Kuhn explained.
Tricks of the Magic Trade
A magic act can be astounding. Still, it is a performance with a clear explanation. Fantasy stories and movies may be filled with magic. In the real world, though, there is no way to bend the laws of science. No one can truly read a person's mind. You cannot make someone disappear in a puff of smoke.
How do magicians fool people into thinking these things are happening? Some magicians work with special props. For example, they may have hidden pockets or fake thumbs to hide objects. Many magicians perform card tricks using special card decks. Still others use high-tech gadgets to secretly gather information. These tricks can make it seem like they can read minds.
Magicians must have many talents. The most important ones are quick fingers and quicker thinking. Even the easiest trick takes hours of practice to get right. Magicians also need great concentration. They must think fast, move fast, and talk fast.
The Psychology of Magic
According to Kuhn, magic relies on psychology—how people see and understand magic tricks. Researchers at his lab use eye-tracking technology. It measures what people see and don't see while watching a trick. The researchers use other tools to study how the brain reacts to illusions.
Kuhn and the other scientists have learned many things. They have found that the human brain cannot pay attention to many things at once. When a lot is happening, people concentrate on what seems most important. They often don't notice what else is happening.
Magicians know this and use it to make magic work. Some tricks happen so quickly that the brain can't figure out what happened. Magicians also distract the audience with fast talking and fast movements. Then the audience only notices what the performer wants them to see.
The science of magic has helped explain more about how the human mind works. It is pretty easy to trick the brain. But knowing that a trick isn't really magic doesn't make it any less magical to see.
Think about and discuss these questions:
What three words from the article would you use in an ad for a magic show? Why?
What magic trick would you like to have explained? What do you think might be the key to the trick?
Video credit: British Movietone/AP
Question 2
2 / 8
Suppose you were writing a summary of the article. Which of these would be most important to put in the summary?
Some magic tricks are about seeming to read minds.
All magic acts take a lot of practice to perfect.
Some magicians use card decks to amaze audiences.
All magic tricks have a clear explanation.
Answers
GPT-5 mini
1) Three words for an ad (and why)
- Astonishing — promises something truly surprising and exciting.
- Vanish — classic, immediate image of real magic happening on stage.
- Magical — wraps it all up with wonder and appeal to emotion.
2) Magic trick I’d like explained and the likely key
- Trick: The cups-and-balls (or small-object vanish/appear) — similar to the balls/cups in the article.
- Key: sleight of hand (palming and secret loads), tightly timed moves, and misdirection (directing the audience’s attention elsewhere with speech or movement so the hidden actions go unnoticed).
Question 2 (summary choice)
- Best choice: "All magic tricks have a clear explanation."
Reason: the article’s main point is that stage “magic” isn’t supernatural — magicians use psychology, misdirection, props, and skill to create illusions.
- Astonishing — promises something truly surprising and exciting.
- Vanish — classic, immediate image of real magic happening on stage.
- Magical — wraps it all up with wonder and appeal to emotion.
2) Magic trick I’d like explained and the likely key
- Trick: The cups-and-balls (or small-object vanish/appear) — similar to the balls/cups in the article.
- Key: sleight of hand (palming and secret loads), tightly timed moves, and misdirection (directing the audience’s attention elsewhere with speech or movement so the hidden actions go unnoticed).
Question 2 (summary choice)
- Best choice: "All magic tricks have a clear explanation."
Reason: the article’s main point is that stage “magic” isn’t supernatural — magicians use psychology, misdirection, props, and skill to create illusions.