Can you place all the glasses in an upright position after making three moves?
 
This is an excellent but very teasing trick. You will be able to keep it going a long time if you work it right. Explain that each person gets three moves, and that after these moves, all of the glasses should be standing in an upright position. Each move consists of picking up any two of the glasses and reversing them. No more and no less than two glasses may be picked up at any one time.

Say to your friends, "I will show you the three moves, and I'll wager you can't repeat them." Then make the three moves, keeping up the patter as you go.

First move: Turn over the second and third glasses, leaving them in the position shown above.

Turn over the first and third glasses, leaving all in the following position: first glass up, second and third down.

For the third and last move, turn over the second and third glasses.

Now all three will be rightside up.

Then give your friends a chance to do the trick, but place the glasses as shown above, which is the reverse of the original position. Naturally, in the final move, all of the glasses will be turned down rather than up, which will mystify them!
 
Materials: Three glasses placed in a row as shown, the center one up and the outside ones down.

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