Mind-Blowing Number Trick on Countdown, Magician Ben Hanlin
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- I take on the challenge of guessing a randomly chosen number in just 30 seconds!
Countdown presenter, Rachel Riley is asked to think of a two-digit number between 25-60, write it down secretly and then somehow, Ben Hanlin, the magician amazingly reads her mind.
He missed the opportunity to say ‘over 39 combinations’ 😂
My guess is that he paid Rachel $39.
I mean there’s an algorithm for generating a 4x4 magic square for numbers between the range you gave, so it’s just about how you knew the number she wrote, which could be a million things in a TV studio
She said "You given me a clipboard" that is how he knew what she wrote
All the numbers are presumably already written other than 18, 19, 20, 21 as these are the numbers that need to change to get any answer. It's hard to work out how he knows her number, but if he does he only needs to know to -21, -22, -23, -24 from that number to fill those 4 squares.
@@hencoleI don’t care what gender (or even species) you are… Marry me. 😲
@@hencoleit’s prompt engineering. magicians use it all the time. in this case saying between twenty-five and sixty. Well, the brain simply things 2+1=3 and 0-1=9, so 39. The brain will sort of default to these engineered prompts because you’re distracted by thinking what the trick could be.
He stole Numberphile’s algorithm without even fact checking it. Hey dumb dumb, add up the top middle 2x2 and bottom middle 2x2 and you won’t get 39 😂
He has an earpiece in his left ear. Rachel’s clipboard has two printed lines quite far apart to fill in the two-digit number. Adding those up gives a hint as to how the trick could be done.
Can you please elaborate? Nice explanation though.
@ he has a small wireless earpiece in his left ear. Those are not commonly used in broadcast TV because the battery life is terrible. Also, him being a guest on the show means he wouldn’t get a ‘telex’ connection to the control room. If he was working with a spotter that was to stand somewhere in sight of the clipboard, that person would need to see the numbers clearly. So, having two large lines with enough space between forces the subject (Rachel) to write the number big enough to be seen and the digits spaced enough to be decipherable. The spotter then inputs that number in a smartphone, and gives the result to the magician, who (as we see here) says numbers out loud to communicate with the spotter and make sure he’s writing the numbers in the right position… That would be my guess. Allegedly.
It's so interesting the number of comments that think this is incorrect, staged, or forced. It's a number trick that anyone can learn quite easily once you understand the method and can be repeated for any given number from 21 upwards. Anything lower than 21 would mean the need to use negative numbers. Really high numbers aren't used because the method of the trick would become too obvious.
Brother, its about how he knew her number was going to be 39. If her number was anything other than 39, it wouldnt have worked. So the only way he could have done this is if he knew her number before hand, nobody is astonished about the part where he can make a grid that has numbers that add up to 39, its about how he knew it would be 39.
@ Any number would have worked because a grid for any number can be worked out in seconds. I agree though that the only part of this trick which is unexplained is how he knew that she picked 39, which I don't have the answer to.
@@galaxy6251
_People think that I set things up when I do this on TV. Rachel, be honest, have I told you what to do at this point?_
_You have given me a clipboard._
Performer didn't make a denial and Rachel didn't answer the question.
Just saying. ;)
great presentation of a classic, really enjoyable. I love this effect, I've been presenting it for years in my shows for years ,my number can go up to 99 etc. Great effect, perfect for this type of show
Saw you switch the rubik's cube after Colin handed it to you. He tried to cover it, but one face was clearly visible, so you're both busted.
Everyone needs to chill, its a good trick. How would he know she would pick 39. Very impressive
Did we see her number written down?
At the end
I can understand the magic square but how in the world did he know the number..
Imagine if someone watches this in 3939 on the 8th of February at 03:09
Well I chose 39 and I was not even in the studio.
Me too...
Prompt engineering. 2+1 = 3. 0-1=9. Your brain will automatically do these calculations while you’re thinking of what kind of trick he is performing lol
@@olli3686You are terrible at writing sentences.
That's actually class. 👏👏 hate maths tricks because my brain can't work out any theory on how this is done. 🤣🤣
Im assuming he gave her a clipboard with 39 written on it
It’s actually mathematically impossible to do this and also have all 2x2 checked using Numberphile’s algorithm unless n=34. What he should have done is memorize the board and added 5, starting with a minimum of 34. When n=34, it’s the magic square anyway. An easy way to calculate this yourself would simply to show 2^16 combinations - or we can show the number in binary, and we show that for each binary number which only has four 1s that it is impossible to have exactly one 1 in each set of squares.
That's just incorrect.
totally wrong...
I have watched too many 8 out of 10 cats.... I was wondering where jimmy was.
Did we ever see her number?
03:02
Wrong!!! I chose 37. 🤷🏻♂️
now do it with 37
This guy stole Numberphile’s solution without any credit 😂 and he doesn’t even understand it. Hey buddy, if you add those 2x2 on your top middle or bottom middle, you won’t get 39. In fact, your bottom middle numbers will never change and always be 34 for this method. If you wanted to be correct in all cases, you should have prompt engineered for 34 instead of 39.
Ah. Well spotted. His confidence lead me to believe that he's done it correctly. I'm surprised that Rachael didn't notice.
How?
The pen was a dud. The page he pretended to write on was already prewritten
Cool trick! Plant in the audience? 👀
She looks like Bo Peep.
Yea no, there is not possible way to consistently do this. These commenters desperate to look smart to stupid people on the internet or something by saying absolute nothing burger explanations that literally arent even coherent or that mean anything with the words they are saying.
Commenter explanations be like:
"Uh actually it is very easy to do that with the 4x4 square method where you take the numbers and think of a range and put the numbers so they solve the range in a given set of specifc numbers that can be added from a 2x2 square from the top middle or bottom"
Like yall literally arent even making coherent sentences or explanations, just word salads that dont mean anything
She could have easily just had 40 as her number, and it wouldnt have matched in the columns, rows etc. The only explanation is either insane luck, or its a set up, and Im willing to bet on the latter
Luck or a set up? What makes you think it isn't just a magic trick?
@jeffrey44 or literal magic ig
there is a way too do it constantly
a constant in the squares are always the numbers 1-12
the remaining 4 blank squares are n-18, n-19, n-20, n -21
where n is the number the person gives
the table looks like this and if you look at his it doesn't match up but if you rotate this table 90 degrees to the left now they look the same
+------+------+------+------+
| | 1 | 12 | 7 |
+------+------+------+------+
| 11 | 8 | | 2 |
+------+------+------+------+
| 5 | 10 | 3 | |
+------+------+------+------+
| 4 | | 6 | 9 |
+------+------+------+------+
and this is the table when we fill up the missing squares
+------+------+------+------+
| n-20. | 1 | 12 | 7 |
+------+------+------+------+
| 11 | 8 | n-21 | 2 |
+------+------+------+------+
| 5 | 10 | 3 | n-18. |
+------+------+------+------+
| 4 | n-19 | 6 | 9 |
+------+------+------+------+
He lied..
2+21+18+3=44
8+10+11+5=34
Well spotted. The method was right but the result was wrong.
Wow this was obnoxious.
What a load of bullshit
Explain Einstein?
Uhhh it’s a set up
Has to be. The only possible explanation.
Sorry but your response is called ignorance. There is a clever method to this which anyone can learn.
great presentation of a classic, really enjoyable. I love this effect, I've been presenting it for years in my shows for years ,my number selected can go up to 99 etc. Great effect, perfect for this type of show