# Magicians crossing bridges **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 26, 2000, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536 "2000-09-26T01:19:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/21 "2000-09-30T15:21:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wrath \* > \*\*Although, any magician worth his 68kilos in gold would almost certainly have trained doves on hand, who could certainly be made to fly the gold across the bridge while he walked… > \*\* What? A dove carrying a brick? It’s a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one kg brick of gold! Maybe the bricks could migrate? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/22 "2000-09-30T16:26:38Z")
He carries one of the bricks across the bridge to his assistant (He’s a magician…he’s got an assistant), gives it to him or her, then goes back and gets the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Wrath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ee7513/32.png) [@Wrath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrath)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/23 "2000-10-02T16:07:45Z")
Supposin 2 doves carried one together? No? They’d have to have it on a line… ---
**Author:** ![Marc\_Fleury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Marc\_Fleury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marc_Fleury)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/24 "2000-10-02T16:41:31Z")
Since the rules of the question forbid the magician to throw the bricks, juggling is disallowed anyway. – Marc. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/25 "2000-10-04T16:26:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ChiefWahoo \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Wrath \* > > \*\*Although, any magician worth his 68kilos in gold would almost certainly have trained doves on hand, who could certainly be made to fly the gold across the bridge while he walked… > > \*\* > > What? A dove carrying a brick? > It’s a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one kg brick of gold! > > Maybe the bricks could migrate? \*\* Two doves could carry it on a string! ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/26 "2000-10-04T16:28:50Z")
Damn. My joke was already taken ☹ Are we talking about African or European doves? ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/27 "2000-10-04T17:00:16Z")
Everyone’s assuming he’s that _other_ kind of magician. Here’s some answers for the real kind. [ul] [li]Turn into a dragon and fly over.[/li][li]Reduce the mass of the bricks or himself.[/li][li]Teleport.[/li][li]Cast a spell of strengthening on the bridge.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Biffer\_Spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Biffer\_Spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffer_Spice)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/28 "2000-10-05T10:39:26Z")
Can’t the greedy git just leave one behind? He’s already got 2 gold pieces, dammit! Not bad going for a magician that doesn’t even have a car… ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Eaton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tom\_Eaton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Eaton)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/29 "2000-10-08T06:08:31Z")
The problem as stated doesn’t specify that you have to cross only once, so the easy answer is, as already mentioned, taking one brick to the other side, going back, and bringing the other two across. It’s a lot easier than juggling gold bricks, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/30 "2000-10-09T14:36:30Z")
If he’s a magician, he should have no trouble pulling a rabbit out of his hat. A 1 kg rabbit. Now he can just walk across with his gold. He’d better tie the rabbit up first, so it doesn’t try to follow him across. ---
**Author:** ![Loren\_Pechtel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@Loren\_Pechtel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loren_Pechtel)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/31 "2000-10-09T23:31:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZenBeam \* > \*\*If he’s a magician, he should have no trouble pulling a rabbit out of his hat. A 1 kg rabbit. Now he can just walk across with his gold. He’d better tie the rabbit up first, so it doesn’t try to follow him across. \*\* ``` While that's a traditional trick, not all magicians approve of using animals on stage--thus not all magicians are going to be skilled at pulling rabbits from hats. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536/32 "2000-10-10T20:39:21Z")
Bundle up the bricks in your shirt. Tie the string to the bundle. Walk across the bridge. Pull the bundle after you. Ta Da! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magicians-crossing-bridges/34536.md?page=1)