Comments on: The Magic Octagon

By: Billie Mitchell

Billie Mitchell — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 00:17:19 +0000

Amazing. Found you through a TED Talk. I wish we had this perfectly simple way to learn and understand math in my day. Now I am a grandmother to a 3 year old and I hope that this is how we can teach him.

By: Eric I.

Eric I. — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 03:03:05 +0000

I think people are missing the true “magic” of this trick.

In the first position, as the octagon is rotated, the hands are a 90 degrees apart.

In the second position, as the octagon is rotated, the hands are 180 degrees apart.

And then at the third position, as the octagon is rotated, the hands are again 90 degrees apart.

How can this be?

To me it’s kind of like this question: How does a mirror know to reverses left and right but not up and down?

By: The Magic Octagon | tglennb

The Magic Octagon | tglennb — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 01:25:10 +0000

[…] See on blog.mrmeyer.com […]

By: K.Savage

K.Savage — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 19:35:10 +0000

These are the kinds of things that I love. When you can get inside their mind, turn it around, and then let the students explore why it works, those lightbulb moments are brilliant. I’m just trying to think if I could use it in a lesson plan early in the year in a 3rd grade class? Possibly what it would tie into/connections to be made?

By: Bruce James

Bruce James — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 06:03:52 +0000

I like starting at “12”, like Dan, then going counterclockwise to “11.” That’ll spook ’em!

By: Eric Merryman

Eric Merryman — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:17:04 +0000

I like this, it is pretty simple, the trick to see past it is to understand that that when side A is at noon, side B without flipping it, is at 3 o’clock, when flipped, it is at the shown 9 o’clock. So when side A is at 2 o’clock, through the paper side B is at 5 o’clock, however when flipped it is at 7 o’clock(how it is shown, due to it being flipped), not the expected 11 o’clock. Side A isn’t flipped, side B is flipped(when shown), so both go in opposite directions.

By: math teach

math teach — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:04:22 +0000

I had to watch it without the sound the second time to “see” it! You were a great magician, distracting me with your words! Great fun….great thinking for the students!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 01:31:04 +0000

I read the comments first so I knew what was going to happen and I still couldn’t wrap my head around it when I watched it. I’m curious now about the differences in the thinking between the handful of folks who knew what would happen and the majority of us who predicted wrong. Any thoughts on the reasons?

By: James McKee

James McKee — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 21:21:17 +0000

@Andrew – so most people don’t predict correctly? I guess I can see that. I guess most people would expect the arrow on the back to rotate the “same direction” (clockwise) as the arrow on the front, and don’t see what the reflection is going to do?

By: Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 20:07:05 +0000

Karl:

Love this! Where do you take the lesson from here?

Lesson?