(no subject)
Apparently, dowsing is the most common claim for Randi's one million dollar challenge. According to the article, the ideomotor effect is so convincing, that it doesn't take much to accept that dowsing works. So, let's see how this goes in a little experiment.
First, I need a dowsing rod. As anything that will balance will do, I decide for my el-cheapo crimping tool, like this one. Perfect, it balances very nicely: the two handles pointed outwards, and each leg resting on one index finger. Now we need some treasure. But alas, as I still have to raid a few gold ships for galleons, and it's not even close to september 19th yet (arrr), I use imaginary treasure. It will be hidden under a rug, a pillow and in a chair. Time to go treasure-hunting...
It *is* quite amazing. The instant-rod picks up all three "treasures" perfectly every time I pass them. Now, you'd say this is not very surprising, given that the three targets were selected beforehand. The baffling thing however is the seemingly completely *automatic* movement of the dowsing rod. No intentional foul-play was ever needed to nudge it onto its target. Walk randomly through the house, nothing happens. Pass one of the three targets, and *wham*, down it goes.
While far from scientific, this little experiment at least shows something: If you think you ought to find something at a certain spot, the rod *will* go down, without you realising that the movement of the rod was initiated by yourself. No dowser has yet completed a proper double-blind test by Randi with any result above that predicted by chance, but I can imagine that some people might be able to detect the presence of water in the landscape , either by smell, or by observing the way plants grow, then process this information subconsciously, making the rod go down at the right spot. This would make the experience even stronger, even if it would only work one time out of ten. The thing is though, such a dowser would probably find the water just as well without the rod...
First, I need a dowsing rod. As anything that will balance will do, I decide for my el-cheapo crimping tool, like this one. Perfect, it balances very nicely: the two handles pointed outwards, and each leg resting on one index finger. Now we need some treasure. But alas, as I still have to raid a few gold ships for galleons, and it's not even close to september 19th yet (arrr), I use imaginary treasure. It will be hidden under a rug, a pillow and in a chair. Time to go treasure-hunting...
It *is* quite amazing. The instant-rod picks up all three "treasures" perfectly every time I pass them. Now, you'd say this is not very surprising, given that the three targets were selected beforehand. The baffling thing however is the seemingly completely *automatic* movement of the dowsing rod. No intentional foul-play was ever needed to nudge it onto its target. Walk randomly through the house, nothing happens. Pass one of the three targets, and *wham*, down it goes.
While far from scientific, this little experiment at least shows something: If you think you ought to find something at a certain spot, the rod *will* go down, without you realising that the movement of the rod was initiated by yourself. No dowser has yet completed a proper double-blind test by Randi with any result above that predicted by chance, but I can imagine that some people might be able to detect the presence of water in the landscape , either by smell, or by observing the way plants grow, then process this information subconsciously, making the rod go down at the right spot. This would make the experience even stronger, even if it would only work one time out of ten. The thing is though, such a dowser would probably find the water just as well without the rod...