Proving the Impossible

Live Lottery
Contest Deadline: March 9th, 2007

Have an impossible effect which you'd like to challenge our readers with? Let us know!

This challenge, posed by reader Richard Cadot, came in with about as much detail as you could ask for and still be open to creativity. In fact, there's not much I could do to it to make it more of a challenge and certainly I wouldn't take anything away from it. So without further ado, here is Richard's challenge in his own words... and, brother, it's a good one!

Here is a truly impossible challenge and not just for the sake of being a challenge. This is exactly the closer I need and were I to learn a practical method to accomplish this miracle, I would certainly include it in my show as the finale.

The Challenge
A volunteer is asked to come up on stage and to designate members of the audience at random. Chosen members of the audience simply call out a single digit number that the performer clearly writes on a big piece of cardboard. After say, six numbers have been called (it could be more), the resulting six digit number has been created totally at random. The public never leaves sight of this piece of cardboard throughout the performance. The performer had absolutely no influence on its creation.

A paper bag filled with ping pong balls is brought forward. Each ball has a single digit number written on it. The bag is shaken and one or more volunteers are asked to reach into the bag and take out one ball. The first ball taken out is the first digit of the number on the cardboard; the second ball matches the second digit of the number and so on until a matching number of balls have been taken out of the bag to recreate the original number. Amazingly, the audience had predicted the result of this impromptu lottery.

The conditions

- No stooges
- No mathematical operation should be performed (Do not turn this in yet another “Add a number” trick)
- The number created by the audience is truly a random one and remains same from beginning to end
- Volunteers take the balls out of the bag, not the performer

Obviously, the deception must happen when the numbered balls are taken out of the bag… This challenge seems so impossible that should anyone create a method using other props than numbered ping pong balls is fine as long as:

- The props are everyday objects and are not playing cards
- Volunteers are still responsible for the selection of all the numbers, not the performer who, at least seems to be, only a guide to the proceedings.

To submit your solution, simply send it, as a plain text file, via e-mail to shane@online-visions.com.

As always, be as original as you dare!

Good luck!

Shane