Pendulum

Background

Pendulum use belongs to radiesthesia and dowsing. Their motion is generally attributed to the ideomotor phenomenon — small unconscious muscle movements — and there is no scientific evidence for radiesthesia.

How it works

You ask a yes/no question; the virtual pendulum swings and settles at random on yes, no or maybe. With a real pendulum, the swing comes from your own tiny hand movements.

Notes and limits

Safety: Pendulum answers are not evidence of anything. Controlled tests of dowsing have found it no more effective than chance (see the Wikipedia article on dowsing); never use a pendulum for health, safety, pregnancy or money decisions.