I thought I would share this.

Put your hand over the numbers and expose them one at a time adding them up out loud as you go.


1000
20
30
1000
1030
1000
20

Was your total 5000? If so, get out your calculator and add it again. Chances are if you try and add them again as described above your total will be the same.
The correct answer is...

4100

Copy this on a buisness and cover it with another and have someone add them up, out loud, one at a time. Nine times out of ten they will come up with 5000.


Have FUN!!

Tim,
I do a similar trick which indeed is on the back of my Buisness card. When I get one of my cards near by I will post the version I have as well.
Owen

A similar trick by John Fisher is to read out (quite quickly) a list of numbers and ask your victim to say the next higher number each time (so if you say 77, they say 78).

His list is: 77, 21, 132, 6, 154, 372, 206, 1194, 78 and 4099.

Same principle

Wow I can't believe I added those wrong. That's great, I need to go try that on someone else.

You can build up the effect and almost present it as a mild hypnosis trick, making your audience beleive that you have in some way controlled them to miscalculate. I think ive performed this trick 50 times and I could say only 3 people added to the correct 4100.

Adz

You should do it this way
1000
40
1000
30
1000
20
1000
10

Eb02,
that is the method I have...i think this is superior to the first posted, as they are easier to add up, and can be done far quicker...also making it more likely that the sucker will fall into the trap.
pxs,
I like that idea too.

Owen