The Dottie number

Alistair Crompton

(1.17)
 Effect

I'm enjoying a lunch with three friends, the meal comes to end and one friend
asks me for a funny magic trick. Too bad, I do not have cards with me and my
inspiration of the moment is a bit weak.

I think to “the Dottie number”.

- Do you know the Dottie number?

- The what?

- I guess you've ever heard about transcendental numbers in mathematics, like

Pi or Euler’s Number...

Nicolas replies:

- Yes indeed, I read things about it. Fascinating subject!

I continue:

- Well, the Dottie number is a mathematical curiosity, less ambitious... We don’t

officially known what could be the purpose of that number ...

- Really? But why is he so curious?

- Just because the value of his cosine is equal to himself!

- Yeah... Definitely not teasing me! I never liked trigonometry!

- Indeed, this number is useless, but unique because of this property.

- So what ?

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 - Actually I can show you another useful and strange property that few people
know... Are you interested?

- Go ahead!

I take my smartphone, unlocking it and giving it to Olivier.

- Hey Olivier, you'll be my operator for this demonstration. Please launch the
calculator...

Olivier executes my order and I dig myself into my chair:

- All of you guys will think of a number, let’s say from 1 to 99, preferably all
different. A number that is associated to a personal memory such... A
birthday, a number that brought you luck, how old is your best friend...

My three friends look each others seeking inspiration.

- Is it good? OK. Olivier will now multiply your three numbers together using
the calculator, without showing anything to me. I turn my eyes during that
operation.

While Olivier does the math, I write the first decimals of the famous Dottie
number in a tiny piece of paper: 0.739085133215.

- Okay. Do you have a result on the screen? Please do not tell me.

- Now multiply this result with the Dottie number that I’ve just written.

I give the piece of paper to Olivier who performs the asked operation.

- When you're done, I want you to spell the entire final result, aloud.

Oliver carefully spells the result digit by digit.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 - Do you agree that I don’t have any mathematical way to guess your three
numbers?

- For sure!

- ...However, this result is the combination of your three personal choices and
the number of Dottie. As I previously mentioned: this number has a very
special property.

I pause.

- This wonderful underknown number allows, in some cases, to extract

information backwards in an arithmetic chronology, when we know how to
correctly interpret the information he offers.

- You mean you can guess our three numbers by analyzing the number I just
gave you?

- You’re absolutely correct.

- That’s impossible. This number may be the product of an infinite number of

combinations, a child knows about that fact.

- Yet this is where the magic of the Dottie number feeds this miracle.

I close my eyes a moment then I enumerate the three numbers chosen by my

friends...

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 Explanations

I thought about that effect for a long time then I forgot about it because of time
constraints and viable solutions. Then I came back, making my original
specifications simpler.

Of course, the trick is the use of a “fake” calculator, similar in every way to a basic
calculator. This fake calculator “spies” the two-digit numbers that are multiplied
together then restores them after a specific trigger.

This trigger is nothing more than... the multiplication by the Dottie number.

As mentioned in my script, the Dottie number has no particular mathematical

interest, except having his cosine equal to himself... No miraculous mathematical
revelation here, sorry guys!

Raw key points of the effect are like following:

1. The magician gives his phone to an “operator” spectator who is taking in

charge the future mathematical operations.

2. The operator multiplies the chosen secret numbers.

(up to 5 numbers are possible)

3. The operator multiplies by ​the Dottie number then communicates the result to
the magician.

4. The magician “decodes” and extracts the secret numbers from that result.

5. Final revelation.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 How to decode the numbers?

The chosen numbers must be positive and inferior to 100.

Each multiplied number will be sneakily memorized by the calculator.

Example:

There are 4 involved people, they choose the numbers ​12​, ​33​, ​7​ and ​78​.
The operator performs the following operation:

12 x 33 x 7 x 78 = 216216

You ask him to multiply that number by the Dottie number:

216216 x 0.739085133215 = ​159802​.​30512596

This number 159802.30512596 is not correct and contains the 4 secret numbers..

The correct result of the operation is ​159802​.03116321444.

As you see, the ​integer part of the result is preserved and quite correct, only the
decimal part​ is wrong and will allow you to guess the secret numbers.

Each group of two digits of the decimal part ​30512596 is connected to a secret
number:

★ 30​ is linked to ​12

★ 51​ is linked to ​33

★ 25​ is linked to ​7

★ 96​ is linked to ​78

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 To “decode” each digit of this decimal part, easy peasy, just subtract and add
the 2 value alternately.

↪ First number, ​30​,

I subtract 2 from the first digit and I add 2 to the second one:

3 - 2 = 1, 0 + 2 = 2, result is ​12​.

↪ Second number, ​51​,

I subtract 2 from the first digit and I add 2 to the second one:

5 - 2 = 3, 1 + 2 = 3, result is ​33​.

↪ Third number, ​25​,

I subtract 2 from the first digit and I add 2 to the second one:

2 - 2 = 0, 5 + 2 = 7, result is ​7​.

↪ Fourth number, ​96​,

I subtract 2 from the first digit and I add 2 to the second one:

9 - 2 = 7, 6 + 2 = 8, result is ​78​.

↪ ​If the result of the sum exceeds 10, simply remove the first digit.

↪ ​If the result of the sum is less than 0, simply subtract the result from 10.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 The Calculator

This fake calculator is perfectly functional but has no "scientific" mode and only
provides basic operations.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 Alternative effect

Except if you propose to a single spectator to choose several secret numbers, this
effect has more impact if several people are involved in the experience.

​ ith the latest version of the application, you can nevertheless present ​the
W
Dottie number to one single person and increase the divination/calculation effect
using some additional options:

Instead of directly proposing to your only spectator to multiply his secret

numbers between them, you ask him, pretending that you would like to update the
experience to something more complex and intimate, to start by taking his birth
year and then to multiply it by his birth month and his birth day, to end up
multiplying (or not) the result by one or more secret numbers of his choice, then
eventually by the Dottie number​.

Birth year
× Birth month
× Birth day
( × Number 1
× Number 2
× Number N ) ← Secrets numbers are not mandatory
× Dottie number

At the end of the operation, you will then have access to several additional
informations that you can choose to use immediately when you reveal the secret
numbers, or you can keep them for later.

These information are:

★ The birth day of week of the spectator.

★ The age of the spectator.
★ His zodiac sign.
★ His chinese zodiac sign.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 Summary table

Information Encoding Position Reversible Disabled

(if enabled) position by default

Secret number 1 -2/+2 First decimals oui

Secret number 2 -2/+2 First decimals oui

Secret number 3 -2/+2 First decimals oui

Secret number 4 -2/+2 First decimals oui

Secret number 5 -2/+2 First decimals oui

Birth month -2/+2 First decimals yes yes

(01-12)

Birth day -2/+2 First decimals yes yes

(01-31)

Day of week (1-7) no Last decimal yes

Age (01-99) no Last decimals yes

Zodiac sign no Last decimals yes

(01-12)
Capricorn, Aquarius,
Pisces, Aries, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer, Leo,
Virgo, Libra,Scorpio,
Sagittarius.

Chinese zodiac sign no Last decimals yes

(01-12)
Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig,
Rat ,Ox, Tiger, Rabbit,
dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat.

Result sample
1234 . 01 02 03 04 05 1357924680 03 05 32 2

N1 or N2 or N3 or N4 or N5 or Fake décimals Chinese Zodiac Age Day

N5 N4 N3 N2 N1 zodiac

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

Configuration

An hidden configuration screen is available through a particular sequence. Just

type “​1,2,3,4,=,=,=,=​”. This configuration screen allows you to:

Update the first part of the access code

to the this screen. Just click on the
secret​ ​code​.

Change the Dottie number and add an additional

“​trigger​”​, the Pi number for example... Notice
however that the Dottie number remains enabled
anyway.

Download this documentation.

Disabled trigger Disable the trigger.

(the calculator becomes “​normal​​”)

"AC" key is disabled Disable the reset of the memorized numbers (and the
current memorized birthday) when you press “AC”.

Last operation displayed Activate the ​last​ ​operation​​ ​display.

Digital font Switch the ​font​​.

Square buttons Update the shape of the calculator buttons.

Add fake decimals Add fake ​decimals​ when the result is short.
(between the secret numbers and the additional
informations when they exist)

Reversed result Reverse the encoded result, the latest secret numbers
appear first.

No -2/+2 encoding Disable the secret numbers ​encoding​.

Day of week/age Enable the display of the ​birth day of week/age​ when
the birthday has been set.

Zodiac sign Enable the display of the ​zodiac sign​ when the birthday
has been set.

Chinese zodiac sign Enable the display of the ​chinese zodiac sign​ when the
birthday has been set.

Peek month & day Enable the ​peek​ of the birth month and day when the
birthday has been set. The birth month and day are then
handled as usual secret numbers.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 Using the calculator

The weakness of this effect is the justification of fake calculator use. But I think
with a good presentation, this justification is completely implicit and natural.

If I come back to my script:

…
I take my smartphone, unlocking it and ​giving it to Olivier​.

- Hey Olivier, you'll be my operator for this demonstration. ​Please launch the
calculator​...

Olivier executes my order and I dig myself into my chair...

When this phase is successfully completed, people abandons the idea of a tricked
calculator since they keep the phone for all the effect.

The time of the effect, the phone no longer belongs to the magician.

Entrusting your phone to an “operator” sends a strong unconscious message that

eliminates doubt and creates trust.

“I entrust you my phone, I trust you, you are now in charge.”

The operator becomes accountable of all the operations and launches himself the
calculator which is a very common application.

In order to “prepare” the effect, I would advise you to leave your phone in view,
before proposing the effect to your audience.

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton

 Additional Notes

When the triggers are disabled, the calculator behaves “normally” and the
button ​ AC​ ​ turns ​ red ​.

The trigger (Dottie number or other), is recognized by the application with a

error margin of 0.00001. If the operator makes a small typo, the trigger is
nevertheless recognized!

If you only peek the chinese zodiac sign, then only the year will be used. Even
though your spectator inputs his birth month and day, they will be handled as
“usual” secret numbers, even if the option “peek month & day” is disabled.

As long as the “C/AC” key is not used, the picked birthday will remain and will be
displayed within the result on each trigger invocation.

Thank you for purchasing “The Dottie number”!

All your suggestions are welcome !

Alistair

alistair.crompton@neo-hypnose.fr

The Dottie number - ​© 2018 - ​Alistair Crompton