How magicians hang objects in the air. The secrets of levitation - is it really possible to fly through the air on your own? Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty

At all times, man looks to the sky with hope. Watching how birds soared carefree in the sky, people tried to come up with something that would help them also easily soar into the sky and soar over the land and sea. This desire of people is reflected in ancient myths and legends.

Let's at least remember ancient Greek Icarus, who, according to legend, failed to properly use the wings that his father Daedalus made for him. IN modern world levitation- This is a common occurrence. Every more or less famous magician considers it a matter of honor to stage a show with levitation. But how much can you trust reports that a person was able to levitate?

First attempts at levitation

One of the most famous levitators who demonstrated his abilities to the Russian scientific community is Daniel Hume, a medium from Scotland. Professors at St. Petersburg University noted at least a hundred cases of such flights by Hume.

“Hume rose into the air. When he hung over us, I could wrap my arms around his legs” (A.K. Tolstoy)

So what is levitation? Interestingly, the Encyclopedia Britannica says that this is the lifting of the human body into the air without the use of mechanisms. Not all cases of levitation are rejected by skeptical scientific workers. Moreover, some scientists are specifically working in this direction.

Levitation with the help of the laws of physics, and not against them

One of the ways that practicing scientists make objects rise into the air is called magnetic levitation. The basic principle of this technology is to use magnetic field to compensate for free fall acceleration. Science knows several ways to create a magnetic field of the necessary power to hold objects of various weights.

Some manufacturers have even mastered the production of pendulum souvenirs that work on this principle. The globes look especially impressive as they float freely above the stand, in which an electromagnet is mounted that creates a magnetic field.

Magnetic levitation technology has found its application in the transport sector. For example, in the German Emsland from 1984 to 2011 there was a test track connecting Derpen and Lathen. Amazingly, the Maglev train (from the words “magnetic levitation”) developed a speed of 501 kilometers per hour in test mode.

And although the license for the track expired seven years ago, they are in no hurry to dismantle it.

In addition to Germany, experiments in mastering magnetic levitation technology were mastered by Japan, China, South Korea and even the USSR back in 1979.

Declassified illusions of levitation of people and objects

Among all types of tricks, the most amazing is considered levitation trick. The most famous illusionists in the world such as David Copperfield, definitely have a levitation trick in their arsenal. By the way, David himself has long been declassified. The fact is that he used heavy-duty threads, which held his body suspended on a specially mounted crane.

Another popular illusion of levitation can be found in the warm season on the streets of large cities. Illusionists, usually dressed in Hindu clothes, hover motionlessly above the surface of the earth at a meter level. The secret of the trick lies in the cane that the magicians supposedly rely on. The fact is that a metal support is hidden inside the cane, which passes under the folds of the magician's clothing and creates a stand on which he sits calmly.

They didn't stop there...

Some illusionists went further. For example, Hezi Dean fixed the stand not on the floor and in the wall at the level of the second floor, and passers-by saw only young man, which is on outstretched arm stayed in the air for a long time. The illusionist Dynamo, who is known in the world as Steve Frain from Britain, has gained particular popularity.

As children, we didn’t think about how circus tricks worked - we simply believed in them. It is much more difficult to surprise an adult; it is not enough to simply pull a rabbit out of a hat. Illusionists such as David Copperfield and David Blaine work in this field - and then we see levitation, the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty and other impressive tricks. Sometimes magicians reveal their secrets - and it turns out that every trick has a completely reasonable explanation

1. Classic of the genre: sawing a woman in half
The assistant climbs into a long, coffin-like box. Then the magician announces that he will now saw this lady in half right in the box - and he successfully does this without any harm to her health!

There are several ways to perform this trick. The classic method, described in 1923, is shown in the picture below.

The box actually contains a secret, enough for the assistant to tuck her legs under. And the cut off legs are played by fake ones (they were controlled using a special mechanism to imitate movement). Therefore, they must wear shoes to cover them as much as possible.

And this is a more modern method, when not one assistant takes part in the trick, but two. Just one hidden in a box in advance. After the “sawing,” one smiles, and the second moves her legs.

2. Levitation
The trick begins with the assistant lying down on the table in front of the magician. The crowd gasps in surprise when the magician suddenly clears the table and the woman continues to float in the air.

The assistant who helps perform this trick is usually dressed in a long, flowing dress, which the magician uses to hide the real magic: a mechanical "levitation" device that is attached to the magician and with which he holds the assistant. And here sleight of hand comes into play: in order to distract the viewer’s attention, the magician takes out a hoop and begins to move it, showing that nothing is supposedly attached to the woman’s body.

3. Levitation of street "fakirs"

It would seem that if he actually levitates, why does he need a staff?

And this staff is the whole point: it is a very strong structure that holds a hidden platform on which a person sits.

Here's how it works

4. Michael Jackson Tilt
Remember this unreal slope under acute angle at 45 degrees, which Michael Jackson and his dancers did? They wore special boots with a specially shaped heel: at the right moment, pegs appeared on the surface of the stage, onto which the heel caught.

Here you can see how it works

5. The most famous trick of all time: pulling a rabbit out of a hat
A rabbit can hardly be hidden in a hat, but where does it come from? Surely there is a simple explanation.

Well, there are three ways to hide a rabbit:
1) In a secret hole in the table. When the magician puts down the hat, he matches it with the secret door.
2) He's really wearing a hat! But the hat has a clever flip flap.

3) In a linen bag, suspended from the edge of the table and covered with a tablecloth with a long fringe.
While the magician shows the crowd that the hat is completely empty, the rabbit is hidden under the table. The hard part comes when you pick up the hat and quietly hide the rabbit underneath.

6. Zigzag Girl

To perform this trick, you first need a skilled assistant, because her task is to position herself correctly in a cramped closet. It is necessary to position yourself in such a way that the face, hand and foot maintain the natural position of an upright person, and the audience does not suspect anything.

7. David Copperfield's trick with the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty

In 1983, David Copperfield convinced a crowd of spectators for a few minutes that the Statue of Liberty had disappeared. He did this trick once and never repeated it again.

Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty
There are two towers in front of the Statue of Liberty. A brightly illuminated Statue is visible against the background of the night sky, and a mark from it is visible on the radar. A blanket rises on the towers, David covers the radar, the blanket falls - the statue has disappeared, only a ring of lights around it is visible. The radar blip also disappears. The blanket rises and falls again - the statue appears as if nothing had happened.

There are several guesses as to how this was done.

a) Turntable

The spectators did not notice it, but their viewing positions were located on a giant rotating platform. After looking at the statue at the very beginning, they were slowly turned to the point where it was no longer visible. How did they not notice the rotation? Everything happened at night, the statue is located on the island, there are especially no identifying marks there.

b) Light curtain
At the appointed moment, the autonomous lighting of the statue turned off. Only 2 spotlights remained working on the island, crossing behind the towers, and spotlights on the towers, blinding the audience and not allowing them to see anything in detail. In fact, the spotlights did not illuminate the statue, but were directed upward and away from it.

c) Staging
That is, it is simply deception, a hoax, and hired actors act as spectators. Skeptics usually favor this view.

Does everyone know how he does it? Think... think... didn't guess? Look under the cut for a couple more examples, and at the end there’s a revelation.

Well, now, in general, the revelation itself...

This trick is quite simple, and I'm sure some people even know the answer. However, in the past, such spectacular illusions could impress overly gullible people, and perhaps some thus even strengthened their belief in the unlimited capabilities of yogis and levitation.

The essence of the trick that street magicians demonstrate in the photo is simple: the cunning one-piece design begins with a massive stand under the “yogi” sitting on the ground, after which the metal frame is neatly hidden in long and spacious sleeves specially sewn for this purpose, a cane that binds one fakir with another, and then, again passing through the sleeves, it ends with exactly the same stand as at the beginning, on which the second illusionist is directly located. For clarity, you can give the following illustration.

It is noteworthy that this trick, which has its roots in the distant past, has been repeated many times and is still being repeated by modern magicians. This illusion is also used in advertising.

Incredible facts

Many people remember this unique feeling from childhood, when we watched tricks and believed in miracles. We never ceased to admire how magicians do it.

If you don't want to be left in the dark and are eager to know how these famous tricks work, this article is for you.

You might be surprised at how easy these illusions are to perform.

Tricks with people

1. Levitation

A woman lies on a board that is supported by a metal rod. The magician stands so as to cover the rod and thus where he stands determines how well this trick is performed.

2. Zigzag girl

This is a pretty simple trick. When the assistant enters the closet, she turns her body so that when the knives enter, they do not hit her. When the middle part of the cabinet is pulled out, only her arm moves, but the black lining of the cabinet gives the illusion that the middle part of the body is completely coming off.

1. Cabinet design elements that add flex space for the person inside. They are usually painted black to blend in with the cabinetry.

2. The knives only extend into part of the vertical space, leaving room for the assistant.

3. Black bars - used space. They are hard to see when viewed from the side or on TV, making the box appear smaller.

4. The interior space is larger than it seems.

3. In the air

This trick is similar to the levitation trick, but the magician does not stand in front of a support rod. He then passes the hoop over the assistant, but only as far as the support allows, creating the illusion that the body is floating in the air.

Tricks involving sawing a person

4. Sawing a woman. Option 1

The man in the box must bend his legs to create the illusion that his body is being cut in half. The fake legs are attached to the other end of the box.

5. Sawing a woman. Option 2

Another variation of the classic trick is that one assistant is already in the box before the trick begins. When another assistant enters the box, the one in the box sticks her legs out, while the other one hides them, showing only her upper body. When the box is sawed, we see one half of two people.

Tricks and their secrets (video)

6. Floating Man

This trick can often be seen among street performers. The magician actually sits on a metal seat attached to a rod that is connected to a platform hidden by a carpet.

7. Michael Jackson dance

This dance movement when Michael Jackson and the dancers leaned 45 degrees, which can be seen during the song "Smooth Criminal" is easier than you thought. The boot's notch grips the instep so that when you lean below the center of gravity, you can return to your original upright position without falling.