Conjuring with Computation. A Manual of Magic and Computing for Beginners

The team behind Computer Science for Fun (CS4FN), brings you Conjuring with Computation: A Manual of Magic and Computing for Beginners. Develop your skills as a magician while also learning the basics of computer science by exploring its links to magic. Each chapter explains how to do a simple magic trick, step-by-step, then uses the trick to introduce linked fundamental ideas in computer science in a fun way. By reading the book you will learn to do self-working tricks, be able to hold magic shows, create your own versions of tricks, and with creativity even invent your own. We cover: Self-working card tricks Magical jigsaws, boxes and other objects False shuffles and cuts False choices Magic with books and pictures Mentalism, clairvoyance and tricks with ghosts Magic built on technology Find out your friends' superpowers! You will also learn how computation underpins conjuring, answering questions like: What is computation? Why are the skills of a computational thinker, such as decomposition, abstraction and generalisation, so important? Why is data represented in different ways? How is easy-to-use software created? How does maths underpin programming? What are the basics of cyber security and privacy? Why must we all understand how computing technology affects society? The book includes profiles of computer scientists, alongside magicians with links to technology, through history. Master conjuring and thinking computationally.