Math Magic Tricks – The Absolute Best Ones

Math magic tricks are fun & easy to perform, super cool, and perfect to teach. A good math magic trick should be quick and the instructions must be easy to follow. You should be able to do all the math in your head.

Math tricks are sort of like puzzles. Your spectator thinks of a number. You give a series of mathematical instructions. At the end you tell your spectator their number.

I did a deep dive to find the best math magic tricks. You will learn the 6 best I could find. They are all worth trying out. I saved the best for last, which I’m including as a bonus at the end.

Math Magic Trick #1

1. Think of a number between 1 and 10, this is your Original #.
2. Add 2
3. Multiply by 2
4. Subtract 2
5. Divide by 2
6. Subtract your Original #

Math Magic Trick #2

1. Think of a number between 1 and 10, this is your Original #.
2. Multiply by 3.
3. Add 6.
4. Divide by 3.
5. Subtract Original #.

Math Magic Trick #3

1. Think of a number between 1 and 10, this is your Original #.
2. Double it.
3. Add 9.
4. Subtract 3.
5. Divide by 2.
6. Subtract your Original #.

Math Trick No-Nos

Stay away from mental math tricks that are too long and have too many instructions. These tricks tend to be confusing and most of the time they get screwed up. If you cannot do the math in your head don’t do the trick.

Math Magic Trick #4

1. Think of a 2 digit number, this is your Original #.
2. Add the digits.
3. Subtract from your Original #.
4. Look up this number on the chart and think of the symbol.

How It Works

This is a pretty baffling trick. I do not know your original number, yet if you follow the instructions your final number will always be a multiple of 9. The table has the same symbol for all multiples of 9.

9 – 18 – 27 – 36 – 45 – 54 – 63 – 72 – 81

Math Magic Trick #5

• Think of a number between 1 and 10, this is your Original #.
• Double it.
• Add 10.
• Divide by 2.
• Subtract your Original #.

Math Trick Endings

For each trick you can just tell your spectator what number or symbol they are thinking of. Or you can spice it up a little and make the trick more memorable by adding something extra to your presentation.

Tell your spectator to concentrate and act as if you are reading their mind. Tell them they are hard to read and it isn’t easy to step into their mind. Add a little mystery and showmanship here, it will go a long way. Slowly reveal their number.

Write the number on a piece of paper without letting anyone see and place it on the table before you start. Go through the trick and then have them pick up the paper and look at what you wrote. This makes the trick a prediction.

You can also write the number on a piece of paper and place it somewhere without them knowing. After you go through the trick tell them to look under their phone or wherever you put the paper.

Pro Tips

Math tricks are perfect to do over the phone. You can have your cheat sheet right in front of you so you don’t even have to memorize the instructions.

These math tricks always have the same outcome so don’t repeat them for the same person. This is why it is good to know a few different math tricks with different outcomes.

Whenever giving instructions make sure you speak slowly and clearly.

If a spectator messes up it is the magician’s fault, always remember this.

Is Magic All Math?

There are some math tricks that can be very baffling and puzzling, yet math is not really magic. Math tricks are in a different category than magic tricks.

Some people are under the impression that magic is all math based. This is not true. This belief may be from an experience these people had with cool math tricks for kids, when they were younger. Perhaps these people have never seen good sleight of hand magic – cards, coins, rings, etc.

The enjoyment of a math trick is more about figuring it out. Working on these tricks is good for learning and deduction skills and a good way to get students thinking. These tricks can also serve as an aid in learning basic math.

Bonus Math Magic Trick # 6

This is definitely the best math trick here. It involves the 4 colored tables below. If you want to do this trick you can take a screen shot of the 4 tables or open up this article.

You don’t know in advance what number the spectator will pick. Plus it is always different. They can think of any number between 1 and 30.

I will walk you through the procedure of the trick, unfortunately I cannot perform it for you.

1. Have your spectator think of a number between 1 and 30.
2. Show the cards one at a time and ask which colors have their number.
3. Add the numbers at the top left corner of the cards with their number.
4. This will give you their number.

Pro Tips

Make sure they closely look at each card so they don’t miss their number. If your spectator needs glasses to see make sure they put on their glasses, otherwise the trick may get messed up.

Conclusion

Math tricks are the type of trick that you do for someone, baffle them, and then teach them how it’s done. You can even perform these tricks over the phone.

Math tricks are generally very procedural, which is a weakness. The ones here all have minimal steps. Try the above math tricks, they all get a great response.