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00:00Master magicians from around the world are taking science and fusing it with magic to break everything you thought you knew about the world around you.
00:13Each show, they'll perform street magic, hidden camera tricks, and epic illusions.
00:20And after they've tricked you, they'll reveal the science that made the magic work.
00:27This time, Ben unveils a memory whiz kid.
00:329th of November, 1989.
00:35Was it a Thursday?
00:36Billy serves up some crazy cappuccinos.
00:39That's a rain. How did you do that?
00:41And Wayne shoots lightning bolts from his fingertips.
00:57The great thing about magic is it challenges your assumptions about what is and isn't possible.
01:05Science seeks to understand, whereas magic, magic sets out to amaze.
01:14And when we add those things together, exciting things happen.
01:20First up, Wayne's hitting the sidewalks of Manhattan to predict what the locals are having for lunch.
01:27Getting your lunch at a deli is a daily habit for thousands of New Yorkers.
01:34I've got a fun trick that I think is going to blow people away and hopefully make their lunchtime far from routine.
01:44Hi, guys. Can I talk to you for a minute?
01:46Sure.
01:47You have a couple of bags here.
01:48What I want you to do is pull out what's inside. Don't tell me what it is, though.
01:51So I want to just pull it out, and I want to try something with the bag.
01:55So what would you think if I told you that this bag can actually give me information about you and the kinds of things that you like?
02:03Okay.
02:04If I take the water...
02:13You see that on the bag.
02:15What kind of sandwich do you have?
02:16A turkey sandwich.
02:19That's awesome.
02:23Hi there.
02:24Hi. How are you?
02:25I noticed that you just picked up something from the deli, right?
02:28Yeah.
02:29Let's try this. Let me put it down here.
02:32This is very important. All I want you to do at this point is to just think about whatever's in the bag.
02:37Don't say it. Just imagine yourself taking a bite. Watch.
02:49Oh, shoot.
02:51That's pastrami.
02:52That ain't right.
02:54Are you serious?
02:58How did you do that?
02:59What's in the bag?
03:00Pastrami.
03:02The bag told you that?
03:04The bag tells me everything. You didn't realize you had a psychic bag, did you?
03:10I ain't got no words for that. I really don't.
03:14You'll never order a deli sandwich the same way.
03:16Not if you remember.
03:20Thanks a lot.
03:21Wow, pastrami.
03:24It's unbelievable. I've never seen nothing like it.
03:26He just laid the bag on the floor, just poured water, and pastrami came on the floor.
03:32It just came out in big letters.
03:33I ain't messing with him.
03:39The secret to this trick involves an accomplice inside the deli.
03:43Spraying the name of the filling onto the sandwich bags with a special liquid called a super hydrophobic spray, which is invisible after drying.
03:54The accomplice then calls Wayne to tell him what was in each bag.
04:01Earlier, Wayne had also written a selection of sandwich fillings on the sidewalk using the same special spray.
04:09His accomplice simply tipped him off about what their customers had ordered, and he just poured water over the right stencil.
04:18This thick waxy spray is completely invisible, but it coats objects with a rougher surface so that every droplet of water that comes into contact with it rolls right off without being absorbed.
04:32This reveals the secret writing as the bag gets wet, but the spray on word stays dry.
04:38The effect is called beading, because the water forms beads which roll right off.
04:48Across the Atlantic in London, Benz invited a live audience to witness a young boy perform The Impossible.
04:56But is he really a child prodigy with a superhuman memory, or is Benz secretly using science to convince the audience he is?
05:07Twelve year old Jake Edwards.
05:11Jake claims to have memorized the exact day of the week that any given date of the 20th century fell on.
05:18That's a total of 36,525 days.
05:23We also have another guest today.
05:25He's an eight time world champion memory expert, Mr. Dominic O'Brien.
05:34Now, you're a memory expert, so what does that mean?
05:38Well, the current record I hold is for memorizing 54 decks of playing cards on a single deal.
05:43Fifty-four?
05:46The true memory master Dominic's here to verify whether Jake really can recall a century's worth of dates correctly.
05:56Now, I've been told, Jake, that you have memorized every day in the 20th century.
06:02That's true, yes.
06:03How hard is this for people to do?
06:05Learning calendar dates is something that requires, I would say, about 70% memory and 30% mathematics.
06:12To test Jake's supposed ability, Dominic has prepared cards listing significant dates from the last century.
06:19Jake must recall which day of the week each date fell on.
06:23The odds of randomly guessing ten in a row correctly are over one in 28 million.
06:29Now, just to verify before we get cracking, you two haven't set this up?
06:33No, we haven't met before, have we, Jake?
06:35No, he's not your uncle, Jake.
06:37And I'm just going to check if it's OK. Can I have a look in your ears?
06:40And Mum's not got a walkie-talkie or anything like that?
06:43Let me just check in there. It's good, lovely, nice bit of wax, but that's fine.
06:46OK. When you're ready, we'll start.
06:51Right, the first test tube baby was born on the 25th of July, 1978.
06:58Is it Tuesday?
07:00It was. Yes!
07:02Brilliant. Well done.
07:04Well done.
07:06All right, thanks.
07:08The first use of nuclear power to produce electricity
07:13was on the 20th of December, 1951.
07:20Was it a Thursday?
07:22Was it a Thursday?
07:24It was. Brilliant.
07:26Right, next up.
07:28This stock market crash on the 29th of October, 1929...
07:34Was it a Tuesday?
07:36Hey!
07:38The 5th of September, 1977.
07:42A Monday.
07:44The 9th of November, 1989.
07:47Was it a Thursday?
07:49Was it a Thursday?
07:51Wednesday.
07:52Monday.
07:53Thursday.
07:54Tuesday.
07:55It was indeed.
07:57Jake has fooled everyone into thinking he's a memory master.
08:02You've got to be dedicated if you want to become a memory champion.
08:05So, for what Jake did, you know, I was very impressed.
08:09But 12-year-old Jake was exploiting a physiological advantage
08:13that he has over everyone else in the room.
08:17Backstage, fellow magician Billy was signaling the correct answer
08:21to Jake using a code of high-pitched bleeps.
08:25One for Monday, two for Tuesday, and so on.
08:29At just 12 years old, Jake was the only person in the room
08:33who could hear these high-pitched 16 kilohertz tones.
08:38Our ability to hear sounds at high frequencies decreases as we age
08:43because the cells in our ears that can detect them degenerate.
08:48Most people out of their teens won't hear tones at 16 kilohertz or above
08:53ever again.
08:56Ultrasonic tones that only teenagers hear have been transmitted
09:00in shopping malls in the U.S. and across Europe
09:03to deter them from loitering.
09:06In fact, the ultrasonic tones used in the trick were so high-pitched
09:11that even young Jake struggled to hear every single one.
09:15Was it Monday?
09:17It was a tutor. You're so close to just one day out.
09:20Part of my job is to make sure people don't cheat.
09:23It was.
09:24Well, the use of ultrasound is a new one on me.
09:27I'm going to have to watch out for this new method in the future.
09:30The thing about street magic is that there's always a danger
09:33that things can go wrong.
09:34Yeah, and there's even more of a danger when you start using science.
09:37But the cool thing is, when it does go right,
09:39you get to show people things they've never seen before.
09:41Exactly.
09:43Next up, Billie's touring London in her mobile coffee shop.
09:48Coffee culture has taken off worldwide.
09:50People nowadays can count on getting their cappuccinos,
09:53lattes, mochas, and espressos just the way they like them.
09:57But Billie's planning to surprise some coffee drinkers
10:00with a classic bit of science.
10:03What she's serving up isn't your average cup of joe,
10:07and her customers certainly won't be expecting to see this out on the street.
10:15Hello. Are you here for the cappuccino?
10:17Can I interest you in a cappuccino?
10:19You know you want it.
10:20Yeah?
10:21A cappuccino for you?
10:22Excellent.
10:32I'm really sorry.
10:33I think my milk steamer is broken.
10:35You know what? It's okay. I know what I can do.
10:38Just give it a shake up.
10:43Is that going to be enough foam for you?
10:46Probably not.
10:47You know what?
10:48There's a way of getting foam by doing something that we call a long pour.
10:52So basically, if I do it properly, if I just get it right,
10:56I should be able to create enough foam for you.
11:02Yeah.
11:03Yeah, that's about right.
11:09It's a load.
11:10I'd probably just let it settle down just a little bit.
11:13It's just like foam. Loads of foam just coming out.
11:16You should say, my machine is broken.
11:19You know what? I'm really sorry.
11:21Only a little milk and...
11:25Cool. Very cool.
11:27You don't want your coffee?
11:29I think I'll pass now.
11:30Okay.
11:31I was thinking about getting coffee today, but not from there.
11:35Amazing, actually.
11:36I'd love to know what the liquid was.
11:40Each cup contained hydrogen peroxide,
11:43normal dishwashing detergent,
11:45and ordinary coffee to add the right colour.
11:49Over time, hydrogen peroxide naturally releases water and oxygen bubbles.
11:55Billy sped the reaction up by adding a catalyst,
11:58a salt called potassium iodide, which was hidden in the milk.
12:03The sudden release of oxygen and water into the dishwashing soap
12:06created a huge foaming mass.
12:10A similar reaction is used in contact lens cleaning solution,
12:15as the bubbling effect removes any proteins from the surface of the lenses,
12:19and the hydrogen peroxide kills the bacteria.
12:29Across town in East London,
12:31Wayne's looking for inspiration for his big trick.
12:36Check this out.
12:38Pie tins.
12:39I'm going to put them on top.
12:42Let me say the magic word.
12:44Benjamin Franklin.
12:48Wow, that's really cool.
12:49It's cool, yeah?
12:50Yeah.
12:54So this is a Van de Graaff generator,
12:56and basically what it does is it generates static electricity,
12:59and I was thinking about using it in the show tonight.
13:01Okay, for your big trick?
13:02Yeah.
13:04It's neat, but can I do anything better, maybe?
13:08Better, maybe? You can do this.
13:10Here, hold out your hand.
13:11Fist bump.
13:13Ow.
13:14That's not better, Wayne, that's worse.
13:20To be honest, I thought it was going to be a little bit more impressive.
13:22I mean, I got a little bit of spark, which looked cool.
13:25I could move stuff, but...
13:27It's not really a show-stopping trick, though.
13:28Exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:29If you can make it, like, on a bigger scale.
13:32Wayne's decided that the puny sparks from the Van de Graaff
13:35aren't enough to create an impressive trick.
13:40So he's up the stakes and supersized his electric toy
13:46for the big daddy of them all, the Tesla coil.
13:50It's a giant transformer, which takes the 240 volts from the outlet,
13:55and by passing the current along two specially-wound copper coils,
14:00it produces high-voltage, high-frequency electricity
14:04and can shoot 25-foot-long lightning bolts across a room.
14:12It's a very dangerous effect.
14:15And to make it worse,
14:16Wayne's actually going to put on a metal suit,
14:19plug it into the Tesla coil,
14:21and try to direct the current across his body
14:24to shoot lightning bolts out of his hands.
14:30Will Wayne harness the elemental power of lightning?
14:33And will he walk away unharmed?
14:36Tonight, in front of a live audience,
14:39Wayne is going to try something potentially deadly.
14:43He'll actually become a human lightning rod,
14:46allowing a massive current to flow across his body,
14:50as if by magic.
14:53If his technique works, he'll pass 750 volts
14:58and shoot lightning bolts out of his hands.
15:01If his technique works,
15:03he'll pass 750,000 volts across his skin
15:07and shoot it out of his hands as lightning bolts.
15:14But first, Wayne needs a volunteer.
15:17This is the Tesla coil.
15:19It's extremely powerful and extremely dangerous.
15:22Now, you guys behind the orange barrier there, you're fine.
15:24That's what we call the safe zone.
15:26What's your name?
15:28Mags.
15:29Would you mind stepping through out here with me?
15:31Sure.
15:33Let's give her a round of applause.
15:35Right on over here.
15:37When this is fully powered up,
15:39it will shoot out 750,000 volts of electricity.
15:43It's essentially lightning.
15:45Let's go a little closer.
15:47Let's go over this way.
15:49If a bolt of electricity were to come off it and hit you,
15:53it would actually stop your heart.
15:55And tragically, there are several cases of people
15:57over the last couple of years
15:59who have actually died being around a Tesla coil.
16:02Now, in a few minutes, we are going to power it up
16:05and show you what it looks like.
16:08When that happens, would you like to be standing here,
16:12which would, of course, be lethal,
16:14or would you like to be somewhere safe?
16:16Somewhere safe.
16:18Good answer.
16:20Let's go a little closer, actually.
16:22Right over here.
16:24This, for lack of a better term,
16:25we'll call your sarcophagus,
16:28or death cage, if that makes you more comfortable.
16:31I know we just met,
16:33but if you trust me,
16:35I promise you will experience something
16:37that you will remember for the rest of your life.
16:39Great.
16:41Are you okay?
16:43Yeah.
16:45I'm going to ask you to carefully step up in there.
16:47Okay.
16:49Why did I say yes?
16:51That's what I thought.
16:53Why did I say yes?
16:55You can see this is made of chicken wire
16:58and aluminum foil.
17:00It will protect you.
17:02Okay.
17:04My philosophy is anything can go wrong.
17:06If that hits me, I'm toast.
17:08Now, as you stand here, it's important.
17:10Keep your hands at your sides.
17:12Don't touch the cage.
17:14I'm trying not to.
17:16Breathe normally. You'll be fine.
17:18Stay there.
17:20His volunteer is safe from the deadly lightning
17:22as long as she stays inside the metal cage.
17:25The conductive metal bars
17:27block the electric field
17:29by distributing the charge
17:31around the outside of the cage,
17:33so canceling out its effect.
17:35But if she was to put
17:37any part of her body out of the cage,
17:39the lethal lightning
17:41could contact her flesh directly
17:43and fry it.
17:45But for Wayne,
17:47it's a very different story.
17:49He has no Faraday cage,
17:51quite the opposite.
17:53He's wearing a full metal chain mail suit
17:55over his body,
17:57and he's sitting on the Tesla coil.
17:59Apparently, he's made himself
18:01one of the best conductors of electricity
18:03in existence
18:05and connected himself to 750,000 volts.
18:08Now, what's the last thing
18:10you want to be caught holding
18:12when you're standing next to something
18:14that's spitting out 750,000 volts of electricity?
18:16Metal.
18:18Electricity is naturally attracted to metal.
18:20We all know this.
18:22So, naturally, I've covered myself
18:23in a metal suit.
18:25I'm hoping to attract
18:27as much of that electricity as possible,
18:29channel it through my body,
18:31and hopefully control it.
18:33You okay down there?
18:35Let's give it a try.
18:40Billy, power it up.
18:54I thought, I'm safe,
18:56because it's going through him,
18:58and if anything messes up,
19:00he'll get him first.
19:06You can smell in the air, like, burning.
19:09I thought that was him for a second.
19:17I'm not sure if I'm going to be able
19:18to catch him for a second.
19:30He's got this metal suit
19:32draped right over his face,
19:34channeling this electricity through him.
19:36He's got to be feeling some heat
19:38or something going on in there.
19:49APPLAUSE
19:56He looks like he's actually
19:58controlling where that lightning's going.
20:01I thought it was beautiful
20:03and really unreal
20:05and something a bit magical about it.
20:07I think he's very brave
20:09sitting up there with this electricity
20:11being channeled through him.
20:13I didn't think he was going to be sitting there
20:15with all that voltage going up.
20:16And that's a lot of voltage.
20:18The noise from where I was
20:20at the back was huge.
20:22So the noise where they were
20:24must have been deafening.
20:26I just can't really believe
20:28it actually happened.
20:30So how was Wayne able to survive
20:32shooting lightning bolts
20:34through and out of his body?
20:36The answer was, in fact,
20:38his metal suit.
20:40The dense chainmail
20:42acts like a body-hugging metal cage,
20:44channeling the electricity
20:46passing it evenly around the surface.
20:50Astonishingly,
20:52it didn't actually matter
20:54that the suit was touching Wayne's skin
20:56as it becomes a hollow conductor.
21:00The lightning hitting the outside of the suit
21:02causes currents within the metal mesh,
21:05creating electrical fields
21:07that cancel the field inside the suit
21:10and produce a safe,
21:12electrically neutral environment.
21:14This safe maneuverability
21:16is why conducting metal garments
21:18called Faraday suits
21:20are worn by Powerline technicians,
21:22protecting them from potentially
21:24deadly electrical currents
21:26and massive voltages.
21:28A dude covered in metal
21:30controlling lightning is amazing.
21:32It really was awesome.
21:39I would love to know what he did
21:41and how he did it.
21:43It was a Thursday.
21:45It was.
21:50I hadn't seen anything like that before.
21:52No, I had no idea what was happening.
21:55The smell of hot metal in the air,
21:57that was,
21:59that's just amazing.
22:01It's very dramatic.
22:03Didn't know what to expect.
22:05I'd love to see it again.