[snip]
>So, before we set out on an experiment (in which I'd love to
>participate!), maybe we should first find answers to the following
>questions (among other)
>
>* are dowsing techniques only applicable to water
>* must the water be running or can it be stagnant water
>* does the TDS (total dissolved solids) concentration in the water
>have any effect (saline water compared to potable water)
>* does it work underground, e.g. in mines
>* is dowsing an acquired skill
>* does it work better in humid conditions
>* does having a naturally dry skin make it easier or more
>difficult to sense any "force"
>
>and, of course, most importantly,
>
>* how many false positive and false negative readings are
>obtained?
>
>False negative (where the dowser erroneously finds no water) can of
>course only be noted in controlled tests, otherwise you'd have to have a
>backhoe follow the dowser. Perhaps dowsing is something like fortune
>telling where one only keeps track of the successes, not the failures!
>
And perhaps we could devise some force-sensing instrumentation to determine
whether the torque exerted by the dowsing rod(s) on the hands of the user
changes when the user feels a torque tending to rotate the rod(s) into the
vertical orientation. A sleeve with force sensors at each end or the like.
I suppose if the dowsing experiment failed in that case, someone would say
there must be contact between the dowser's skin and the rod. Not sure how
to deal with that one, but I'll come up with something.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Hamilton
Staff Research Engineer
Chassis and Vehicle Systems
GM R&D Center
Warren, MI