Crazy Coin Illusions!

Crazy Coin Illusions!
Number	173
Broadcast Date	July 6, 2011
Episode Length	9:25
Hosts	Brian Brushwood

Try to figure out how high a stack of quarters is by just eyeballing it. It's a guessing game that fools them all! Bonus trick: how many drops of water can you fit on a nickel?

Revision3 Summary

This week we've got two ingeniously simple scams, both of which take advantage of awesome and strange gaps in our perception:

For the first one, stack 10 quarters and place them on some kind of pedestal (like your cell phone). Then in front of them on the table, place (in order) a 50-cent piece, a quarter, a nickel, a penny, and a dime. Ask your mark which coin, when placed on its side, will be as tall as the stack of quarters. Almost everyone will pick the nickel or quarter, but you'll blow them away when you reach over show them it's the DIME that's just as tall!

For your next scam, grab the nickel from scam #1 and ask them "how many drops of water can I place on this nickel before the water overflows?" Most will pick 3-5. Some may say 5-10. NOBODY will pick the real answer, which will (amazingly) be over 20!

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Next Week

We learn to make a miniture volcano, using vodka, soda straws, baking soda and the soul of an innocent.

Links

• Show Notes on Revision3

Preceded by: "Your Mind Playing Tricks on You"

Crazy Coin Illusions!

Followed by: "The Indestructable Dollar"