Magician and Mathematician Persi Diaconis

When he was 14, Persi Diaconis ran away from home to become one of the world's great magicians. Now he's a world-class mathematician, and his two professions have more in common than you might think. Persi and I had a very entertaining conversation about his careers in show biz and academe, covering topics such as: -His friendships with other magicians, including Ricky Jay, Randi and Dai Vernon -Some surprisingly profound mathematical card tricks -Why science needs statisticians -Duping others and being duped himself -Why he's so secretive about his magic