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million

Anti_Hypeman said:
How do you know you found them did you dig them up? How many times have you tried it?
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That’s a good question.

monsterfarmer: You need to do some experimentation to learn under what conditions you can demonstrate this phenomenon. Obviously the JREF is not going to agree to a test where you mark the location of a live power line then try to dig it up!

Try some think like this:

Run an extension cord across your backyard and plug something significant into it (say maybe a large lamp) turn it on. See if you can detect the extension cord with your usual method. If you can, a test could be easily constructed with a similar method.

If you can't detect this maybe you could use several extension cords and tape them together (make sure you don't do anything dangerous though!).

You might want to seek the help of an electrician if you are uncomfortable with playing with electricity.

Let us know what you learn.

LLH
 
Testing for Dowsing Ability

Hi, Monsterfarmer --

Welcome to the Forum! I wanted to chime in with a couple of things, too, to help you out.

First off, dowsing has been pretty well shown to be a result of something called "the ideomotor effect". What this means is that if a person knows -- or has some way of suspecting, even subconsciously -- where an object is located, their own motion is what causes the dowsing apparatus to react. So what you need to do is figure out a test that competely rules out this effect.

This is what double-blind testing sets out to prove. LotLH has an excellent suggestion about running an extension cord. This isn't an actual test; rather, it's something that will help you determine the limitations of your proposed ability. Once you know the limitations, it'll be MUCH EASIER to design a test. Some things you should try:

1) The extension cord idea. Try seeing if you get the effect with the large lamp (or other item) turned on as opposed to it turned off (flowing current vs simply energized line).

2) Car batteries. Can you detect those?

You should also give careful thought to all of the things that might mess up the results. Dry ground is one you've already identified. Try to figure out and factor for anything else.

It'd be great if you could detect car batteries -- I can think of a test right off the bat that would work:

You and two friends (friend A and friend B). You all locate a place that is reasonably free of buried power lines, so that your ability is not confused. Then, you and friend A go somewhere out of sight of the location with some means of being signalled (e.g., ringing a cellphone, but no talking allowed!). Friend B rolls two ten-sided gaming dice (one marked 10, 20, 30, etc and the other 1-10 as normal) to get a result of 1-00 (that is, 1 to 100) and writes down the result. He or she then hides a car battery inside one of ten numbered boxes, with the number equivalent to [dice roll divided by 10, second digit dropped), weighing down the others with a single gallon container of water each. Once this is complete, friend B leaves the area and signals. You return with friend A and, without touching the boxes, use your ability to identify which of the ten boxes contains the battery. Friend A writes this result down. You leave the area and signal friend B. Friend B returns and repeats the dice roll/car battery hiding process, while also moving ALL BOXES slightly. You're then signalled, return with friend A, etc. Repeat this ten times. I am an not a mathematician, and I think someone else can jump in with the probability of getting, say, five right -- but I'm sure that's WAY more than chance.

Note that my method of determining the box numbers probably isn't random enough. But I think that this would be an outstanding way to really test yourself, and something along these lines is what you'll have to do to win the million. But heck, it's worth a million, right?

So figure out the limitations of your ability -- what you can and cannot test for -- so that you can start on designing a test that rules out things like the ideomotor effect and interfering influences. I honestly mean it when I say that I'm interested to read more about what you find out.

Good luck!

-- Jackalgirl

Edited for clarity
 
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Jackalgirl said:
First off, dowsing has been pretty well shown to be a result of something called "the ideomotor effect". What this means is that if a person knows -- or has some way of suspecting, even subconsciously -- where an object is located, their own motion is what causes the dowsing apparatus to react. So what you need to do is figure out a test that competely rules out this effect.
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He should only need a test that makes sure that he doesn't know, conciously or subconciously, where the object is located. How he identifies it, and if the rod just serves to amplify his body movement or is material to the finding of the object wouldn't matter.

(one marked 10, 20, 30, etc and the other 1-10 as normal) to get a result of 1-00 (that is, 1 to 100) and writes down the result. He or she then hides a car battery inside one of ten numbered boxes, with the number equivalent to [dice roll divided by 10, second digit dropped),
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I might be missing something here ... why use two dice, when you in fact only need and use the result of one of the two?

Rasmus.
 
Do you people think that dowsing is a paranormal thing , a basic unexplained electrical Phenomena or just an ((( ideomotor effect))) ?
 
Ideomotor effect with some confirmation bias thrown in. In other words, if a dowser is wrong, they look for a reason and try to find a pattern, creating more and more elaborate excuses. They claim they're only wrong because it was too wet, or too dry, or the item wasn't large enough, or there was interference, or whatever, rather than considering the possibility that they're wrong sometimes simply because they don't have any special powers.
 
probably ideomotor.... but the world was once flat and the earth was the center of the universe only time and science will find the true answer
 
I know i will have to test myself first before doing the challenge. I feel that i can do it . But before i try i will triple test it first
 
monsterfarmer said:
I know i will have to test myself first before doing the challenge. I feel that i can do it . But before i try i will triple test it first
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Good! We wish more applicants would test themselves first. It saves a lot of time, trouble, and possible embarressment. But good luck!
 
Rasmus said:
I might be missing something here ... why use two dice, when you in fact only need and use the result of one of the two
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I was just thinking that it might be handy to have a larger set of numbers, rather than just 1-10. But you're right: for the purpose of a simple test, a ten-sider would be just as good.
 
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