ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cups and balls

Okay kiddo, cups and balls is a magic trick that uses, well, cups and balls! The magician uses three cups and three balls that are typically made out of foam or rubber. The cups are big enough to fit the balls inside, and the balls are small enough to hide under the cups.

The magic trick begins with the magician showing you the three balls and three cups. They will put all the balls on the table and cover them with the cups. Then with a magic wave of their hand, they’ll lift the cups and reveal that the balls have vanished! You might think the balls are hidden under the cups, but when the magician lifts them up, there's nothing there. It's like the balls have disappeared!

But, that's just the first part of the trick. The magician will then make the balls appear under different cups, or even turn them into other objects, like fruits or coins. They might even make the balls disappear and then reappear in their pocket!

Now, how do they do it? Well, it's all about distraction and sleight of hand. The magician is really good at making you look at one thing while they are doing something sneaky with their other hand. They might move the balls around when you're not looking or hide them in their pocket. Sometimes they even use fake balls that are hidden in a secret compartment in the cups.

So, that's how cups and balls magic tricks work! It's all about making you think something has vanished when it really hasn't, and making you look the other way so you don't see the sneaky tricks the magician is doing with their hands.