Card Flip Magic: Error Detection & Correction
Source Institutions
-
Computer Science Unplugged
Add to listGo to activity
This magic trick is based on how computers detect and correct data errors. In the trick, a volunteer lays out a 5 x 5 square of identical cards colored on one side, with a random mix of sides showing. The magician adds another row and column, making sure that the extra cards make an even number of colored cards in each row and column. When the volunteer flips over a card, the row and column with the changed card will now have an odd number of colored cards, identifying the changed card. Extension activities further explore the idea of error correction, including its use in book ISBNs.
- Under 5 minutes
- 30 to 45 minutes
- 1 cent - $1 per group of students
- Ages 8 - adult
- Activity, Demonstration, Lesson/Lesson Plan
- English, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- A set of 36 “fridge magnet” cards, coloured on one side only
- A metal board (a whiteboard works well) for the demonstration.
- 36 identical cards, coloured on one side only.
Subjects
- Engineering and Technology
- Computing
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computing
- Mathematics
- Algebra
- Patterns
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Data Representation
- Representation
- Algebra
Informal Categories
- Computers
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- see color
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Foreign language versions of this resource:
- Italian: La magia delle carte girate—Il riconoscimento e la correzione degli errori
- French: Tour de cartes – Détection et correction des erreurs
- Polish: Magia obracanych kart — Detekcja i korekcja błędów (Polish Version)
- Turkish: Kağıt dönderme sihri—Hata bulma & düzeltme (Turkish Version)
- Greek: Η μαγεία των αναποδογυρισμένων χαρτιών – Αναγνώριση & Διόρθωση σφαλμάτων (Greek Version)
- Russian: Russian Version
- Portuguese: A Mágica de virar as cartas—Detecção e Correção de Erros
- Hungarian: Kártyaforgatós trükk — Hibaészlelés és - javítás
Components that are part of this resource:
Includes alignment to state and/or national standards
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
- Bell, Tim; Witten, Ian; Fellows, Mike; Adams, Robyn; McKenzie, Jane
Rights:
- Creative Commons, Computer Science Unplugged, 2005
Funding Sources:
- Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust
- Google Inc.
