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https://youtu.be/AW_xDXDtDmc https://youtu.be/AW_xDXDtDmc This is what it looks like. There's no explanation for this phenomenon. No, it's not "gut instinct"

engineer_22 4y ago
https://youtu.be/rHm-lZb5kuo https://youtu.be/rHm-lZb5kuo Here's a dorky journalist doing it. Maybe that's more credible.
blincoln 4y ago
Before I begin, let me start by saying that I know of no evidence that dowsing for water can work. To my knowledge, it's from there that the technique of using two L-shaped rods has been treated as discredited, even though the testing was generally only for "water witching". That having been said, if there's a magnetic field present, it's easy to find using one or two of those L-shaped metal rods,[1] and also fairly straightforward to understand. If you start with just one, the field will exert a dragging effect on the arm of the rod as it moves through the field, and the rod will more or less end up pointing toward the center of the field. I.e. the rod will act sort of like a cat whisker. It's such a small effect that the rods have to already be in motion to notice it. In most cases the field isn't strong enough to move the rod when it's at rest. If you do the same thing with two rods, they will indeed cross under certain conditions. I don't know enough about magnetic field theory to explain that behaviour. The first time I tried it, decades ago, I found a magnet that I didn't even know was present, so I knew immediately it wasn't just the ideomotor effect. Some types of metal will affect the Earth's magnetic field enough to he detectable remotely (e.g. military magnetic anomaly detectors used to find submarines), so maybe an underground metal pipe is enough? I haven't tried that myself. That having been said, the supposed ability to detect other buried objects is so persistent over centuries that I wonder if there could be a very subtle equivalent for gravity fields or something else. I highly doubt it, given that no one has been able to detect water in controlled tests, but it would be a fun surprise. Edit: these days it's much faster and easier to use the magnetometer in your phone, but the first time I tried it was long before smartphones. [1] I don't know how much the type of metal matters. I assume iron or steel is best.
- User23 4y ago
  > That having been said, if there's a magnetic field present Water is weakly magnetic. The polarity of the H2O molecule is in fact essential to life as we know it. And of course typical water has plenty of other ions in solution.
  - LarryMullins 4y ago
    I think you'd be very hard pressed to create a handheld digital gadget that could magnetically detect water under the ground. It might not be impossible, but I think the effect must be much smaller than you could plausibly detect with two pieces of bent wire.
    - User23 4y ago
      I'm inclined to agree, but I do think "plausibly" is doing a little more work there than it first appears. I've had a handful of paranormal experiences in my life that I was able to verify to my complete satisfaction. Also, when I had those experiences I was an avowed materialist agnostic who enjoyed shooting down religious people to show how clever I thought I was. I returned to a dualist philosophy as a result of logical inquiry, not religious indoctrination. Platonism is a gateway drug. Even so, my first thought is always to look for a normal explanation. In my experience paranormal abilities are both extremely rare and frankly quite unreliable. Due to that, for me the apparent reliability of dowsing actually speaks against it being what I would consider a paranormal phenomenon. As others have put better in other comments on this submission, it's probably a matter of training and subconscious recognition. Nevertheless, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that there are practitioners who 99% of the time are doing that, but 1% of the time actually do something paranormal. I just don't know.

engineer_22 4y ago

https://youtu.be/rHm-lZb5kuo https://youtu.be/rHm-lZb5kuo Here's a dorky journalist doing it. Maybe that's more credible.

blincoln 4y ago

Before I begin, let me start by saying that I know of no evidence that dowsing for water can work. To my knowledge, it's from there that the technique of using two L-shaped rods has been treated as discredited, even though the testing was generally only for "water witching". That having been said, if there's a magnetic field present, it's easy to find using one or two of those L-shaped metal rods,[1] and also fairly straightforward to understand. If you start with just one, the field will exert a dragging effect on the arm of the rod as it moves through the field, and the rod will more or less end up pointing toward the center of the field. I.e. the rod will act sort of like a cat whisker. It's such a small effect that the rods have to already be in motion to notice it. In most cases the field isn't strong enough to move the rod when it's at rest. If you do the same thing with two rods, they will indeed cross under certain conditions. I don't know enough about magnetic field theory to explain that behaviour. The first time I tried it, decades ago, I found a magnet that I didn't even know was present, so I knew immediately it wasn't just the ideomotor effect. Some types of metal will affect the Earth's magnetic field enough to he detectable remotely (e.g. military magnetic anomaly detectors used to find submarines), so maybe an underground metal pipe is enough? I haven't tried that myself. That having been said, the supposed ability to detect other buried objects is so persistent over centuries that I wonder if there could be a very subtle equivalent for gravity fields or something else. I highly doubt it, given that no one has been able to detect water in controlled tests, but it would be a fun surprise. Edit: these days it's much faster and easier to use the magnetometer in your phone, but the first time I tried it was long before smartphones. [1] I don't know how much the type of metal matters. I assume iron or steel is best.

User23 4y ago
> That having been said, if there's a magnetic field present Water is weakly magnetic. The polarity of the H2O molecule is in fact essential to life as we know it. And of course typical water has plenty of other ions in solution.
- LarryMullins 4y ago
  I think you'd be very hard pressed to create a handheld digital gadget that could magnetically detect water under the ground. It might not be impossible, but I think the effect must be much smaller than you could plausibly detect with two pieces of bent wire.
  - User23 4y ago
    I'm inclined to agree, but I do think "plausibly" is doing a little more work there than it first appears. I've had a handful of paranormal experiences in my life that I was able to verify to my complete satisfaction. Also, when I had those experiences I was an avowed materialist agnostic who enjoyed shooting down religious people to show how clever I thought I was. I returned to a dualist philosophy as a result of logical inquiry, not religious indoctrination. Platonism is a gateway drug. Even so, my first thought is always to look for a normal explanation. In my experience paranormal abilities are both extremely rare and frankly quite unreliable. Due to that, for me the apparent reliability of dowsing actually speaks against it being what I would consider a paranormal phenomenon. As others have put better in other comments on this submission, it's probably a matter of training and subconscious recognition. Nevertheless, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that there are practitioners who 99% of the time are doing that, but 1% of the time actually do something paranormal. I just don't know.