card 'trick' and group theory
Here's a card 'trick' I think you may find interesting, if you've not seen it before. Can anyone explain, using group theory, why this works?.
I just thought it was fun.
PH, you may like this in particular.
"Ask friends to pick out seven cards from a deck and then to select one
to look at without showing it to you. Take the six cards face down in your left hand
and the selected card in your right hand, and announce you will place the selected
card in with the other six, but they are not to know where. Put your hands behind
your back and place the selected card on top, and bring the seven cards in front in
your left hand. Ask your friends to give you a number between one and seven (not
allowing one). Suppose they say three. You move the top card to the bottom, then
the second card to the bottom, and then you turn over the third card, leaving it face
up on top. Then repeat the process, moving the top two cards to the bottom and
turning the third card face up on top. Continue until there is only one card face
down, and this will be the selected card."