Effect

A card is selected by a volunteer and committed to memory. The volunteer is a given a short piece of wire and is asked to think of their card and place it into a beaker of hot water. The wire starts to bend and form a shape that matches the card selected by the volunteer.

Method

Various people, most notably Uri Geller, have claimed to have psychokinetic powers, claiming to bend metal with their minds. To create this illusion, wiregrams can be used which can change into the shape of a card when immersed in hot water (care with scalding). These are available from internet magic shops and eBay. You need to be able to force a specific card on a pupil which can be achieved in various ways, the easiest being having a pack with all cards the same. The wiregrams are made of nitinol, a memory metal which can ‘remember’ its shape heated or when an electrical current is passed through it. This makes it useful for stents in clogged arteries and robotic hands. Good memory metal resources are available from Mindsets, such as springs that uncoil in hot water.

The magic trick involves the use of scientific principles, demonstrating how innovation and scientific knowledge can create awe-inspiring experiences. It emphasizes the importance of investing in research, technology, and infrastructure to foster creativity and discovery.