I don't have a video of the quarter nickel flip thing, I read about the trick in a silly kid's magic trick book I got as a gift as a child. I just remembered about it and thought I'd share.
Not really a magic trick, but interesting nonetheless with regards to the consistency with which the coins flip over from that height.
I got the OP trick semi-consistently. Seems that maybe if I decrease the distance (9 or 10 inches rather than a whole foot away), I get it to work more often.
Quote: You finish your first beer and put it upside down over the coin then enjoy your second beer while the other guys is dumbfounded as you collect the $200 that's on the table
Slam your fist down on the table causing the beer glass to fall over and pick up the coin.
Quote: Slam your fist down on the table causing the beer glass to fall over and pick up the coin.
Not sure what sort of beer glasses you regularly encounter, but the ones I have used would not submit to such action. A tapered beer glass, when inverted, has a very sturdy base. Regardless, this tactic was never a problem for me.
The OP's trick also works with two 10 baht coins and a 1 baht. But try it with just two quarters. It seems to be impossible to get the bottom coin to drop that distance without it flipping over. Interesting.
My favorite bar coin trick was pulled on me in the Netherlands in 1987. The bartender has a full tub of water, and submerges two pint glasses so there's no air left in either, then seals them together mouth to mouth, and (carefully) pulls them out and stands them up vertically on the bar, such that they're both completely full of water, the rims are perfectly aligned, and no water is coming out. He then bets that he can get a coin into the glasses without spilling a drop.
Impossible, right? Well, back then the Netherlands 10 cent coin was much smaller and thinner than the US dime, and the bartenders all had a stick they used to scrape the foam off your beer. So, he gently taps on the side of the top glass with the stick until slowly the thinnest opening between the rims forms, and some combination of vacuum and surface tension keeps the water in both glasses. Then ever so gently, he slips one of those tiny coins into the gap, and it drops to the bottom of the glass. Not a drop of water spilled. Really a skill trick instead of a deception trick, and obviously the bartender had a lot of practice. I tried but I couldn't do it without making a big mess.
Quote: Not sure what sort of beer glasses you regularly encounter, but the ones I have used would not submit to such action. A tapered beer glass, when inverted, has a very sturdy base.
Your not hitting the table hard enough.
Quote: It seems to be impossible to get the bottom coin to drop that distance without it flipping over. Interesting.
That is because you are having to release the pressure holding the coin graduallly in order to keep the top coin from falling. With the gradual release of pressure one side of the coin will be released before the other and that side will start falling first. That starts the flip. If it wasn't for the top coin (you just had the bottom coin and the smaller one on top of it) it would be possible to release the coin suddenly and both fingers would be away from it before inertia allows it to start falling. Done right the coin would then fall straight down without flipping.
The reason it always lands with the smaller coin beneath it is because all objects fall at the same rate. When the bottom coin starts to fall so does the smaller coin. And since one side started falling before the other on the big coin that same side of the small coin starts to fall to at the same rate. So in effect the two coin stay together and flip at the same time. After half a revolution they land in your hand upside down from their original position.
Interesting explanation Conder, to be honest I hadn't thought it through this way but this makes a lot of sense. Seemingly this trick would also work in vacuum based on this reasoning.
The rate of rotation of the flipping coins must be the consistent variable here, which is directly related to gravity. The release of one end of a coin initially gripped at both ends would initiate a rotation rate determined by gravity and some dimension(s) of the coin. Maybe later I'll sit down later to work out the analytical expression.
Another idea, not mutually exclusive, occurred to me. It is hard to get the center coin completely centered. As the coin fall, there will be air resistance which would be an upward force slowing the coin. If the smaller coin is not centered, the resistance may impact the side of the quarter without the middle coin more than the other side. This will cause the flip, and might also abate once the smaller coin is on the bottom.
Not sure if things really work like that, but seems plausible.
If the coins were falling a long distance, air resistance may start to have an effect. But a falling distance of just roughly a foot isn't far enough for air resistance to have a significant effect.
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use
First Page
Previous Page
Posted 07/16/2015 1:51 pm
