Psi Wheel
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A psi wheel is
pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
-shaped
top Top most commonly refers to: * Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides * Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy * Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso * Mountain top, a moun ...
-like device consisting of a small piece of
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
or
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
balanced on the tip of a pointed object (such as a toothpick or needle). It is commonly used in attempts to prove the validity of
telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...
, by rotating the wheel claiming to use the power of the mind alone. However, this "experiment" does not prove psychokinesis or other parapsychological phenomenon as hidden heat and wind sources can be used to turn it. Psychokinesis is not proven to date, while many laws of physics prohibit it as such, psychokinesis is
pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...
.


History

In the 1968 psychic powers film '' The Power'', a group of witnesses seated around a table watch a stunned telekinetic as a psi wheel turns by the application of telekinetic force by one of the characters.


Construction

There are several designs for the shape of the psi wheel, but the most common is an inverted funnel-shaped pyramid. This psi wheel shape may be constructed by creasing a small (around 2 inch by 2 inch) square of
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
or
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
lengthwise, height wise, and diagonally both ways, then bending the square slightly along the creases to reach the desired shape. Another common type of psi wheel is in the shape of a cross made out of a very thin sheet of metal such as aluminum or brass. The arms of the cross are anywhere from 1.25 to 2 inches in length and up to 1/4" wide, with a small dimple in the middle so that it can be balanced on something sharp. This wheel then balances on a sharp pointed object such as a
thumbtack A drawing pin (in British English) or thumb tack (in North American English), also called a push-pin, is a short, small pin or nail with a flat, broad head that can be pressed into place with pressure from the thumb, often used for hanging ...
, pin, needle, or
pen PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...
cover firmly planted on a flat surface. An object such as a thumbtack or pen cover can stand on its base by itself, however an object such as a needle will need to be rooted in another stable object such as an
eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from which the material first used got its name) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellu ...
,
sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...
,
box A box (plural: boxes) is a container with rigid sides used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides (typically rectangular prisms). Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or v ...
, or
bottle cap A bottle cap or bottle top is a common closure for the top opening of a bottle. A cap is sometimes colorfully decorated with the logo of the brand of contents. Metal caps with plastic backing are used for glass bottles, sometimes wrapped in dec ...
in order to provide it with enough stability to hold the spinning wheel on its tip; one stable design even uses a plastic bottle cap filled with an equal amount of
J-B Weld The J-B Weld Company is an international company that produces epoxy products. The home office is based in Sulphur Springs, Texas. J-B Weld (stylized as J-B WELD) is the name of their flagship product: a specialized, high-temperature epoxy adhes ...
, a quick drying two-part epoxy, to hold a needle of any desired size upright in place. Sometimes such psi wheels are placed within medium-sized glass or clear plastic containers to prevent random bursts of air and possibly heat from the hands from causing spurious movement of the wheel. A detailed description on what is a PsiWheel and how to build one.


See also

*
Crookes radiometer The Crookes radiometer (also known as a light mill) consists of an airtight glass bulb containing a partial vacuum, with a set of vanes which are mounted on a spindle inside. The vanes rotate when exposed to light, with faster rotation for more ...


References

{{Reflist Telekinesis Articles containing video clips Spinning tops