A visit to the exhibition, Magic - The Science of Illusion

On 19 Dec 2008, I spent a day at the Science Centre Singapore so as to visit the exhibition titled Magic - The Science of Illusion.

Prior to visiting the exhibition, I have often marvelled at what people refer to as magic. How does magic work?

I shall not reveal too much about the science behind the various 'magic' and illusions that are used by professional magicians. However, to entice readers to consider making a trip to the Science Centre Singapore to catch this very exhibition, I shall attempt to share about a few of the interesting exhibits that one can find at this exhibition.

Look carefully at the photograph right below. Did you notice that the boy appear to have no body. Yes, look at the next photograph below, and imagine a disembodied head on the metal plate. How does a magician achieve the illusion of a disembodied head? I now know the answers, but you would have to visit the exhibition to find them out for yourself.






Did anyone of you watch those magic shows where someone sits on a heavy chair like the one that you see in the photograph below, and strangely, the chair has the power to lift itself and a person up even though there was supposedly nothing underneath the chair? I witnessed a boy being lifted up while sitting on the chair. The chair was floating. See, there was nothing underneath the chair. What is the science behind this illusion? Go figure it out yourself.





Lovers of Mathematics may like to try their hands on the "magic square". The task to obtain a magic square is to arrange the numbers "1" to "9" such that it will add up to 15 whether vertically, diagonally, and horizonatlly. It may seem to be an easy task but it is not, unless one knows the secrets behind. Try it for yourself.




For visitors who love watching magic performances, I recommend that they check out the schedules for the magic performances. These shows are free for all ticket-holders to the exhibition, Magic - The Science of Illusion.

Magic - The Science of Illusion is held at the Science Centre Singapore from 22 Nov 2008 to 28 Feb 2009. For more information about the Science Centre Singapore and the various exhibitions at the Science Centre, please visit: http://www.science.edu.sg