WEBVTT 00:00:16.020 --> 00:00:20.667 So, my name is Vincent. and I'm really glad to be here. 00:00:20.687 --> 00:00:21.940 And I'm here to 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:23.673 show you an experiment in memory. 00:00:23.693 --> 00:00:26.140 But I need someone to assist me, so maybe I can 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.519 ask, don't see here, maybe, uh, Paul Gertner. 00:00:28.539 --> 00:00:30.520 Can I ask you to come here? Big round 00:00:30.540 --> 00:00:31.540 of applause for him. 00:00:32.580 --> 00:00:35.511 Thank you. Yes, you do. Right. 00:00:35.531 --> 00:00:38.560 And the reason why I picked you 00:00:38.580 --> 00:00:41.860 is because I know your name, and we all know your name, but you don't know me. So 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:44.877 you're not a stooge, okay? Makes sense. 00:00:44.897 --> 00:00:47.740 Yeah. So, Paul, did you know that the 00:00:47.760 --> 00:00:51.880 most magical and impossible thing I ever saw was the memorization of a full deck of 00:00:51.900 --> 00:00:55.555 cards in less than 2 minutes? Actually, it's not me saying this. 00:00:55.575 --> 00:00:56.740 Dominic O'Brien, you 00:00:56.760 --> 00:01:02.140 might have heard of him. Dominic O'Brien in 1994 was able to memorize 40 decks mixed 00:01:02.160 --> 00:01:04.593 together. I won't be able to do 40 decks tonight. 00:01:04.613 --> 00:01:06.280 We don't have the time, but maybe 00:01:06.300 --> 00:01:11.860 one deck will be enough. And if you look at this, the full deck is 00:01:11.880 --> 00:01:14.962 52 different symbols, maybe this way is better. 00:01:14.982 --> 00:01:17.500 Maybe you can see from the view from 00:01:17.520 --> 00:01:22.300 above, 52 different symbols, and every time you shuffle, 00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:27.780 or you cut, you create a different order, right? 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.800 So you're going to be a witness for this, and I'm going to mix the deck, maybe more 00:01:32.820 --> 00:01:33.820 shuffles. 00:01:33.900 --> 00:01:39.300 Like this, up, this. 00:01:39.360 --> 00:01:40.360 Okay. 00:01:40.980 --> 00:01:46.060 So we have one mixed blue deck. But one deck compared to the 40 decks of O'Brien is 00:01:46.080 --> 00:01:52.060 really nothing. So I brought a 2nd deck, a red one for diversity. and still 00:01:52.080 --> 00:01:57.180 52 different symbols. Yes? You are the eyes of the audience, so yes. 00:01:57.240 --> 00:02:00.240 And same treatment here. 00:02:03.300 --> 00:02:07.540 Like this. And I'm going to shuffle the red ones together, but also with the blue 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:12.120 ones. Just to make sure it's totally fair. Okay? 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:19.360 So we have one mixed red deck, one mixed blue deck, and we're gonna shuffle them 00:02:19.380 --> 00:02:22.080 together. This is the hard part. 00:02:23.700 --> 00:02:29.200 To get a super deck of 104 cars, which is a 00:02:29.220 --> 00:02:34.840 lot. Now, I have to try to memorize this in less than 2 minutes, and I can't look at 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:39.820 you or talk to you when I'm doing this, because it's a lot of concentration, but it 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:43.080 should take less than of less than 2 minutes, hopefully. 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:45.900 Thank you. 00:02:47.100 --> 00:02:50.896 This is the only sleight that I'm gonna do all night. 00:02:50.916 --> 00:02:51.916 So let's go. 00:03:04.980 --> 00:03:07.020 Maybe in three minutes. 00:03:25.260 --> 00:03:31.000 Okay. So, I have an image of the deck in my mind, and we're 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:33.132 gonna try to play with this, and you. 00:03:33.152 --> 00:03:35.380 I will turn my back, so I can't see the 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:37.072 screen, and I can't see the table. 00:03:37.092 --> 00:03:39.460 And can I ask you to take any card anywhere, and 00:03:39.480 --> 00:03:42.340 please remember where you took the card from, because we have to put it back. 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:46.420 And so maybe you could remember the card next to it, and show your card to the 00:03:46.440 --> 00:03:47.940 audience, and you will remember the card for him. 00:03:48.600 --> 00:03:54.460 Yeah, done? Yeah, okay. And do you have a pocket in your shirt 00:03:54.480 --> 00:03:58.824 or pants, or, yeah? Okay, you can put your card, hidden? 00:03:58.844 --> 00:04:00.460 Yes. And now there is 00:04:00.480 --> 00:04:02.707 a gap at the position when you took your card from. 00:04:02.727 --> 00:04:03.940 So maybe you could close the 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:07.180 deck very carefully because if you shuffle the deck at this point, we have to start 00:04:07.200 --> 00:04:09.171 all over again, I have to memorize the whole deck again. 00:04:09.191 --> 00:04:10.060 So we don't have the time 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:14.025 to waste. Okay, be careful. Can you square the deck, please? 00:04:14.045 --> 00:04:15.900 Yes, please. Yes, I give you time. 00:04:18.960 --> 00:04:21.717 Okay, done. Perfect. You can hold him? 00:04:21.737 --> 00:04:22.980 Yes? Applaude him for the job. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.382 Now, I'm very sorry, I have to spread it again. 00:04:26.402 --> 00:04:28.120 It's not to fight against you. 00:04:28.140 --> 00:04:30.720 It's team work, okay? So you square the deck and I spread it. 00:04:33.780 --> 00:04:37.540 Now, the game is exactly the same as at the end of magazines, when you have two 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:40.740 photos, and you have five differences, and you have to spot the differences, right? 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:43.355 Except here, I have 104 elements to compare. 00:04:43.375 --> 00:04:45.520 So I have to find a place where there 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:48.840 is a card missing and then remember the card that was at this place, hopefully. 00:05:15.900 --> 00:05:18.760 I'm thinking maybe a card here. 00:05:18.780 --> 00:05:21.480 Can you see from the top? Yes. 00:05:21.540 --> 00:05:24.160 Uh, I think... 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:29.460 9 of Diamonds? 00:05:29.520 --> 00:05:32.640 Yes? Thank you. 00:05:35.700 --> 00:05:40.260 Of course, you understand, if it was a trick, it would go faster, but... 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:46.900 it's not ! So, yeah. I'll just play again, maybe, because there is some suspicious 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:49.386 people in the audience. I am suspicious of this anyway. 00:05:49.406 --> 00:05:50.380 We're all magicians, so 00:05:50.400 --> 00:05:53.980 maybe I will have a way to know what card you've been touching, and then I don't 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:55.643 need to memorize the whole deck, right? 00:05:55.663 --> 00:05:57.520 But we're going to try in a way that's going 00:05:57.540 --> 00:06:00.580 to discard this option. So I'm just going to spread again so you can see all the 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:03.840 cards. And for the next part, I'm going to ask you not to touch the card. Okay? 00:06:03.900 --> 00:06:05.426 Whatever happens, you don't touch it. 00:06:05.446 --> 00:06:07.180 You're not even point at the card. Okay. So 00:06:07.200 --> 00:06:09.254 I'm not looking and you're not touching. 00:06:09.274 --> 00:06:11.400 So can you look at any card in the deck? 00:06:11.520 --> 00:06:15.460 Okay? And in a second you're going to give me the name of the card, and I'm going to try 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:17.849 to give you the name of the card next to it, okay? 00:06:17.869 --> 00:06:19.360 This can only be done by memory 00:06:19.380 --> 00:06:22.600 because we mixed the deck, then together, then I'm not looking and you're not 00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:24.028 touching, so it's impossible. 00:06:24.048 --> 00:06:26.460 Can you give me the name on the card? 8 of Hearts. 00:06:26.520 --> 00:06:27.520 8 of Hearts. 00:06:27.840 --> 00:06:31.014 It's next to the 3 of Spades. 00:06:31.034 --> 00:06:32.580 That's correct. 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:34.860 Yes. 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:38.830 It was easy right at the beginning. 00:06:38.850 --> 00:06:41.460 Oh, yeah, very easy. But thank you. 00:06:41.520 --> 00:06:46.300 For the next trick. For the next part, we're not going to use the whole deck because 00:06:46.320 --> 00:06:51.960 that's been too much. So maybe about quarter of a deck. 00:06:52.020 --> 00:06:57.720 Like this. Okay. And I'm going to give you the cards to look at, okay? 00:06:57.780 --> 00:07:00.797 I'm gonna let you spread them on the table. 00:07:00.817 --> 00:07:03.340 Okay. And your job is to make sure I 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:08.860 don't make any mistake. So, again, I'm not looking, and don't be nice if I fail, 00:07:08.880 --> 00:07:12.820 tell me, okay? So I'm going to try to recite the deck from the top down, not the whole 00:07:12.840 --> 00:07:14.834 deck, just the cards on the table. 00:07:14.854 --> 00:07:17.500 And if I make a mistake, just tell me. Well it 00:07:17.520 --> 00:07:23.440 begins with 6 of Diamonds, then 3 of Clubs, 3 of Diamonds, 4 of Diamonds, 9 of Hearts 00:07:23.460 --> 00:07:29.380 King of Hearts, Jack of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, 8 of Clubs, 6 of Clubs 00:07:29.400 --> 00:07:35.020 5 of Diamonds, 10 of Hearts, Queen of Clubs, 7 of Clubs, 7 of Diamonds 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.460 4 of Clubs, 4 of spades, 2 of Clubs. 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:43.800 Queen of Clubs, 8 of Hearts, 3 of Spades, 00:07:44.940 --> 00:07:45.940 Oh, sorry. 00:07:46.140 --> 00:07:47.940 Excuse me. 00:07:49.260 --> 00:07:53.920 I stopped at the Queen of Clubs, but the rest is 8 of Hearts and 3 of Spades, and 00:07:53.940 --> 00:07:56.120 that's the rest of the deck, but we have no time. 00:07:56.140 --> 00:07:57.240 So, I'm gonna stop here. 00:07:58.140 --> 00:08:04.140 Now, we knew that I know the whole deck, the alphabet, A, B, C, D. 00:08:04.200 --> 00:08:09.100 But if I want to know what's the 7th letter in the alphabet, I don't know it right 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:11.992 away. I have to do A, B, C, D, E, F, G. 00:08:12.012 --> 00:08:15.100 And then I know that G is the 7th letter in 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:17.187 alphabet. It doesn't work here. 00:08:17.207 --> 00:08:20.620 Because you want to know the 73rd card in the deck, 00:08:20.640 --> 00:08:23.088 and we have to recite the whole deck in the 73rd. 00:08:23.107 --> 00:08:24.820 That would be too long. So what I 00:08:24.840 --> 00:08:26.415 did is I memorized the whole deck. 00:08:26.435 --> 00:08:28.480 But I also memorized all the positions of every 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:31.630 card. Okay, it's much easier for what we're going to do. 00:08:31.650 --> 00:08:32.980 So, yeah, yeah, I assure 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.968 you. So now we have five, 10, 15 and 20 cards. 00:08:36.988 --> 00:08:38.740 So can I ask you for 00:08:38.760 --> 00:08:40.560 any number between 1 and 20. 00:08:42.300 --> 00:08:47.880 17. Should be... 17? 00:08:52.560 --> 00:08:57.160 This is difficult. Uh, I think it's the 4 of Spades, 00:08:57.180 --> 00:09:02.980 but we'll check. 17. So 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:08.260 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 00:09:08.280 --> 00:09:12.720 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 00:09:13.140 --> 00:09:18.169 Uh, next one is, 15, in English. 00:09:18.189 --> 00:09:23.160 16 and 17. And I said, 4 of Spades, and that's 4 of Spades. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:32.020 Now, if you have a good memory, you'll remember that at the beginning, I told you 00:09:32.040 --> 00:09:33.536 about Dominic O'Brien. Yeah? 00:09:33.556 --> 00:09:36.460 And he was saying that you can memorize a full deck in 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:41.160 less than 2 minutes. And that's very impressive, but what's the point, right? 00:09:41.340 --> 00:09:46.980 Yeah, what's the point? So maybe we can try, we can try something here. 00:09:47.040 --> 00:09:49.871 Let's say we are playing a game. 00:09:49.891 --> 00:09:52.900 Okay. Four players. And make this, 00:09:52.920 --> 00:09:54.540 like this, a bit pretty here. 00:09:55.800 --> 00:10:00.400 Okay. And I was dealing the cards without looking at the faces, and I was talking 00:10:00.420 --> 00:10:05.380 to you, and I was dealing very fast, and if you look here, there is, like, not so 00:10:05.400 --> 00:10:10.000 many cards, and there is a lot of cards here, and more red backs here, and red backs 00:10:10.020 --> 00:10:14.260 here, so there is no logic, no pattern to what I've been doing. Except I memorized 00:10:14.280 --> 00:10:20.200 the card in the beginning. So maybe I was able to put all the Hearts here. Yes, 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:23.040 and all the Clubs here. 00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:27.936 Can you see? Yes. Diamonds? Here? 00:10:27.956 --> 00:10:29.440 Exactly. And 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:32.551 finally, of course, Spades. Well, thank you, Paul. 00:10:32.571 --> 00:10:34.500 Thank you very much. Thank you. 00:10:38.280 --> 00:10:43.900 It's very nice to have a memory like this, because I forget a lot of stuff in my 00:10:43.920 --> 00:10:46.380 life, but I will not forget tonight, so thank you again. Thank you.