Card Tricks > Geometric Treatment Card Trick
A Speleological Six
A speleologist is the one who specialise in the scientific study or
exploration of caves but is doubtful whether a speleologist have ever
heard of a speleological six as described in the next trick. The term is
used in the next presentation. Although descriptive, no scientific
significance should be attached to the term. This effect has been
presented in many ways. Therefore, the present offering is not new but
merely changes the participants and the locale to provide a fresh
approach to an old standard.
Presentation
To further explain this technical term, The performer places a number
of cards on a table, end to end, to form the outline of a large
numerical six. The top of the six represents a cave entrance and the
successive cards circling downward represent the enlarged chambers that
a speleologist would encounter as he proceeds with his exploration in
the depths of the cave. In this particular case, an amateur cave
explorer reasons that if he keeps count of the chambers that he passes
through in moving into the cave in a (counter-clockwise direction), he
can always get out by reversing his direction to clockwise and counting
back this same number of chambers to reach the outside. Unfortunately,
on the return trip to the surface entrance, this amateur becomes
confused and unknowingly takes a sharper turn that leads him back into
the cave rather than to the outside. To cope with amateurish mistakes,
recourse is made to the offices of some reputable magician to pinpoint
the position of the lost cave explores so that he can be located and led
to safety.
The performer requests a spectator to take an imaginary exploratory
trip through the cave of cards on the table and to proceed far enough so
that he enters the cave well beyond the point A into the lower part of
the figure six ( in a counter-clockwise direction). The spectator is to
keep track of the number of cards that passes through going into the
cave so that on his return trip he will traverse the same number in
getting back to the surface. At point A, he is to purposely miss his way
and take a sharp clockwise turn that circles him back into the lower
loop of the six. Then proceed in this direction until the reverse count
has been completed. For example, if the spectator passed through twenty
cards in proceeding into the cave, he is to count off twenty chambers on
his return trip, a number that will carry him to the surface entrance.
To determine whether the performer can locate the position of the
lost spectator, alter the figure six in size and shape to suit the
wishes of the spectator in taking the imaginary exploration. Despite
this change, the performer is able to locate the position of the
spectator ( the card) at the end of his side-tracked return.
Method
For any pattern of cards given to form the figure six, the lost
explorer always ends up on the same card on his reverse trip regardless
of the number of cards he counts off in penetrating into the card cave.
So, the performer picks any convenient number that gets him into the
lower loop of the figure six and on his reverse count will end up on the
same card. Then he announces this card as the position of the lost
explorer.
Explanation
This trick has a very simple explanation, which is more obvious to
the more alert spectators. However, the effect is momentarily confusing
and affords considerable amusement when properly presented.
Let the leading cards from upper part of the six to the lower portion be
x in number. Let the total number of cards explored by spectator be y in
number ( y must be greater than the x to get into the loop). In
proceeding to the loop portion of the cave, the spectator passes through
x cards; inside the loop he progresses through y-x more card chambers.
On the return trip he traces his path through the y-x chambers to the
point A leaving x chambers yet to be negotiated to get to the surface.
By missing a correct turn at point A, he proceeds clockwise through x
more cards within the loop. The cards counted off from A are related
entirely to x and have nothing to do with y. For this reason any
explorer following the given exploration will end up on the same card,
counting in a clockwise direction.
Card Tricks > Geometric Treatment Card Trick
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