Math & Magic

"Experience the Magic" has blended the fields of magic and math to create a uniquely entertaining presentation, suited for middle school students, grades 5-10. The presentation demonstrates how important math is in the “real world” (in sales and publishing, for example). More specifically, the students discover how dependent magic is on math—math, they learn, is actually the power behind the “trick.”

For more information, call (269) 580-1696 / 646-3227 or email us today. We have also included letters of recommendation below, to assist you further.

“Mr. Jim” Merrills

School Recommendations

What a joy it is to have someone other than their teacher letting them know the importance of math! They were awed by the magic and enlightened by the math concepts. Rarely are our students exposed to this type of meaningful presentation!
Sherrie Schanzenbaker, Asst. Principal—Battle Creek Middle School

I personally observed the presentations in our Algebra 1 (sophomore) class and it was an excellent learning activity for the students! I was amazed at the interaction of the students with “Mr. Jim.” They were attentive! His material was presented in a creative way, to get and maintain the interest of the students. He explained why math is so relevant to any business (or publisher—he has authored two books). This is an excellent program and I highly recommend this presentation to any middle or high school!
Bill Markovich, Principal—Marcellus High School

“Mr. Jim” spoke to all of our students in small-assemblies. His presentation was engaging, witty, well-paced, and professional on all levels. His great voice and attending skills were combined with excellent “tools of the trade”! Jim has performed three different programs in our school and I have no hesitation recommending Jim as a presenter.
Mike Frazier, Principal—Dowagiac Middle School

Thank you so much for your outstanding magic presentation! My 8th grade students were fascinated and shocked to see a connection between math and magic. It was great to have an "outsider" reinforce the idea that math is important in other places besides a classroom. You held the attention of eight grade students, which is no easy feat.
Dan Blair, Math Teacher—Three Rivers Middle School

It was an excellent blend of humor, magic, and educational lessons! You reinforced many of the points that I make to my students. Students were so impressed that they were "a buzz" for several days following. I had many positive comments from other teachers, as some students shared what they learned while attending other classes. Truly, you had a positive influence on them.
Llyod Smith, Math Teacher—Bellevue Middle School (Battle Creek)

Thank you so much for your wonderful presentation connecting mathematics and magic in the classroom. The students were fascinated and intrigued beyond belief! This was a very age appropriate presentation for my 7th and 8th grade, and would also work down as far as 4th grade.
Students were extremely attentive and eagerly participated in your presentation. You did a great job of encouraging the unsure student as well as controlling the over enthusiastic student.
Tally Orange, Math Teacher—Marcellus Middle School

Student Letters

…sent in from Mr. Blair’s class

"You taught me that we need math in everything we do, even magic! It's amazing that even the most complicated tricks are made up of small math problems." Shantelle

"It was interesting to learn how some of these complicated tricks were actually real easy with just using a little math. I wanted to say, 'Thank you!' It was a pleasure to be able to see a real magician live, instead of on T.V." Kevin

"I was very amazed. It really shocked me to learn that every job in the world deals with math, and I need to know math to get a good job in the world." Tim

"I never realized how much math you need in this world. I never thought a magician would ever use math." Joslynn

"I wish we could have had all day for you to teach us! I learned that if you put a little math into it, then you can do a lot of things." Janelle

"It was fun and educational. It is wierd how we don't realize the most obvious things." Rachel

"The tricks you showed us were really great! I'm going to practice them on my little cousins when I baby-sit. (P.S.: When you asked my friend Amy if she could read minds, I couldn't stop laughing!)" Rachel

"I had a great time learning! Actually, I was surprised that magic had so much about math. I used the card trick on my entire family, and they had no idea how I did it. It was pretty cool!" Mike

"Thank you! It's not everyday that we get to have a guest speaker like you. I appreciate your kindness and patience with some of our 'knuckle-heads.'" Gloria

"My favorite part was when you demonstrated mind reading by choosing a teen number. I was amazed when I found out that you knew what was written on MY paper! I tried some of these tricks on my family. Thank you for making education more fun." Amber

"My favorite trick was the coin trick. That night I tried it on my family and they were very impressed with it!" Kim

"One of the things I like about you is that you don't do any 'cheesy' acts. All of your stuff was fresh and new to me. Another thing I like is how you get your audience involved." Kaylie

"The number problems you showed us were very fun! All the problems you showed were related to math and had patterns...the strategies were great." Kevin

"Thank you very much. I tried the 'Bermuda Square' on my family and fooled them all!" Brandy

If this sounds like the kind of "experience" your students need, please contact us to arrange a date: (269) 580-1696 / 646-3227.

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