54. In the Bank
class: closer | impressiveness: 2/5 | factors: super-simple, fun to watch, somewhat impractical | requires: bottle, toothpick or wooden match, dime | watch full episode
This one’s super simple. It’s not rocket science, but it’s way cool to watch…
The Setup: Fold a toothpick in half, making a “V” shape and place it on top of the mouth of a beer bottle. Next, place a dime on top of the folded toothpick and offer the following question:
How do you get the dime into the beer bottle, without touching the bottle, toothpick, or dime, without letting the toothpick fall off the top of the bottle, and without shaking the table?
The Answer: Don’t be surprised if your mark just flat-out doesn’t believe this one is possible… the restrictions are so tight, it seems there’s no way to pull it off; however, the solution is unbelievably elegant:
Just drip a couple of drops of water (or any other drink) onto the fold in the toothpick.
The water will cause the wood to expand, opening the toothpick and allowing the dime to drop right in. It may take a long 20-30 seconds for it to happen, but once it does, it’s pretty cool: like a ghost hand is pushing it open.
Watch Demonstration (External link)
Remember, though: there are a lot of ways people can get lucky and get the dime inside, even without using drops of water. I’ve seen everything from blowing on the dime, to jumping up and down next to the table… even shouting directly into the mouth of the bottle to cause little vibrations. I probably wouldn’t risk a beer on this one… but definitely give it a try.