Learning with a difference

The Cornell Daily Sun - Prof Demonstrates Magic of Math: "Despite his love of magic, Diaconis still considers himself a mathematician at heart.
'Magic and math really are similar,' he said. 'For both, you're constantly solving problems under constraints. In magic, you want to solve a problem without the audience knowing how. In math, you need to solve problems following set rules.'
Yet Diaconis emphasized society's perception of magicians and mathematicians as a key difference between the two professions. 'Professors are treated with respect, but magicians may not be,' he said. 'It's a hard life.'"

It doesn't have to be.