Talk:Light as a feather, stiff as a board

How to play
I read somewhere else (I think on iGoogle, where it featured a "How to Play Light as a Feather..." article in the "How To" section thingy) that it was "Light as a Feather, Strong as an Ox". IT stated that the "psychological" (somewhat/arguably) effect was more that the individual to be levitated was like, AND that the individuals doing the levitation were, in fact, strong [as an ox]. I could be wrong though (just being random). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zekk17 (talk • contribs) 01:19, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Copyvio
This text has been copy/pasted from http://www.castleofspirits.com/levitation.html.


 * The copyvio introducing edit has now been reverted. Thanks for the alert.  &mdash; Laura Scudder &#9742; 21:08, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

what is the story behind light as a feather stiff as a board!?!? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.164.59.38 (talk) 23:13, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

This work
Does? Vitriol 21:39, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
 * ...Is that even English? I believe you mean to ask "Does this work?" in the section title, and ask in your direct message, "Well, does it?" - At least, that's what I'd say, it certainly makes more sense to read.  Oh, and um... I'm wondering if it works, too. - MasterXiam 16:48, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I've done it once before at a slumber party, but that was long ago. There couldn't have been that many of us doing it, though.  &mdash; Laura Scudder &#9742; 03:56, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Tried this. Nothing psychological about it
It really is just a matter of physics. The weight is distributed among the lifters, making each lifter feel that the volunteer is light (will discuss this in a while). This may actually be an explanation for Ouija boards.

Anyway, the article was vague on the form and placement of the hands. You clasp your hands as if in prayer, the point both index fingers outwards (just the way we mime holding a gun with two hands). The number of people who can lift the volunteer is from 4 to 6 (explained later).

The volunteer sits on a stool or the edge of a chair or low table. The lifters stand on either side of the volunteer. They place their bunched-up index fingers in the following places: two under the volunteer's folded knees (one on each side, remember), two under the volunteer's armpits, and two in the area under the buttocks. At a signal, they *gently* lift the volunteer.

After we did this a couple of times with all the mumbo jumbo (we didn't do any chant, but instead we did some breathing exercises and someone spoke a few "hypnotic" words), we decided to do an experiment. We repeated it without the mumbo jumbo and it still worked (which showed that no hypnotism was needed).

Still unsatisfied (we were a bunch of science students in college!), we did variations. We asked people who have not seen the trick to do it (and they did it without the mumbo jumbo preparations we did. Result? It still worked.

Then we tried another variation. We asked ourselves, what would be the minimum number of lifters who could lift the volunteer? We removed two people -- the ones supporting the buttocks. And that still worked. We tried less than four but the volunteer got heavier. So we concluded four is optimal (but a bit awkward). The supports for 4 lifters would be under the armpits and knees. HTH. Rubencanlas (talk) 14:05, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

This should be kept
While I can't comment on whether it works or not, I don't believe that's necessarily the point of the article -- whether it can or cannot be done. Although it definitely merits discussion on whether it works, and how, the point of the encyclopedia article is to explain what it is for those that are curious -- like I was, which lead me here for an explanation. Here's one person for keeping this article as a useful, if obscure, piece of information about a game. -- 76.121.121.25 (talk) 11:39, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Leviation
(moved from talk page of Kan8eDie)

This part of the article shows up in the diff history and on the edit page, but isn't showing up in the article: The phrase has also become established in popular culture as a reference to a levitation trick, and has been referred to in various media accounts.
 * Party Levitation from Conversation for Exploration: A Talk Show hosted by Laura Lee
 * Description of the trick at Castle of Spirits
 * Jerry W. Decker (01/08/98). Gestalts and the Production of Anomalous Phenomena. KeelyNet.
 * As I seem to be bumbling in my own attempts to figure out how the article should read and how to include these cites (if at all? external references is okay with me too, I think they're interesting though not good sources) I wonder if you could have a look?ChildofMidnight (talk) 18:56, 26 November 2008 (UTC)
 * At least it is not particularly wrong now, even if good sources have not been found. I only nominated the article when stumbling across it through chance browsing, and seeing nothing to indicate notability, nor any indication that anything reliable was forthcoming.  Given its current state and sources, I think it was right to survive the AfD, but I have no plans to spend any further time on the matter, and have removed the pages from my watchlist. I wish you good luck improving the article. —Kan8eDie (talk) 01:55, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

physics
Lets say an average man of 80kg. I've seen this performed on much heavier people, just search youtube.

Divided by 4, this means each lifter is exerting 20kg of upward force on two fingers. This is actually quite a lot for two fingers even in a pistol like grip. Do it with extended arms and it becomes even tougher.

Not saying there is any magic to it, but I have my doubts that the explanation is as simple as presented. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.180.3.30 (talk) 23:29, 30 July 2011 (UTC)


 * That's a heavy bag of shopping, and you only have to lift the weight for a few seconds for the trick to have "worked". The idea that lifters can hold the subject aloft for a longer period is a myth, but one which participants might misremember when they think back to their childhood. --Lord Belbury (talk) 10:24, 17 May 2019 (UTC)

Supporting Citation
This subject is described in "The Magician's Own Book, or the Whole Art of Conjuring" by Arnold George & Frank Cahill, published by Dick & Fitzgerald, New York, 1862. University of Pittsburgh Library states that the book is not subject to copyright. (http://archive.org/details/magiciansownbook00arno) The passage in question is taken from pp341 - 342. "One of the most remarkable and inexplicable experiments relative to the strength of the human frame, which we have ourselves seen and admired, is that in which a heavy man is raised with the greatest facility, when he is lifted up the instant that his own lungs, and those of the persons who raise him, are inflated with air. This experiment was, I believe, first shown in England a few years ago by Major H., who saw it performed in a large party at Venice under the direction of an officer of the American navy. As MajorH. performed it more than once in my presence, I shall describe, as nearly as possible, the method which he prescribed. The heaviest person in the party lies down upon two chairs, his legs being supported by the one and his back by the other. Four persons, one at each leg and one at each shoulder, then try to raise him, and they find his dead weight to be very great, from the difficulty they experience in supporting him. When he is replaced in the chairs, each of the four persons takes hold of the body as before, "and the person to be lifted gives two signals by clapping his hands. At the first signal he himself and the four lifters begin to draw a long and full breath, and when the inhalation is completed, or the lungs filled, the second signal is given, for raising the person from the chairs. To his owm surprise and that of his bearers, he rises with the greatest facility, as if he were no heavier than a feather. On several occasions I have observed that when one of the bearers performs his part ill, by making the inhalation out of time, the part of the body which he tries to raise is left, as it were, behind. As we have repeatedly seen this experiment,and have performed the part both of the load and of the bearer, we can testify how remarkable the effects appear to all parties, and how complete is the conviction, either that the load has been lightened, or the bearer strengthened by the prescribed process. At Venice, the experiment was performed in a much more imposing manner. The heaviest man in the party was raised and sustained upon the points of the fore fingers of six persons. Major H. declared that the experiment would not succeed if the person lifted were placed upon a board,and the strength of the individuals applied to the board. He conceived it necessary that the bearers should communicate directly with the body to be raised. I have not had an opportunity of making any experiments relative to these curious facts; but whether the general effect is an illusion, or the result of known or of new principles, the subject merits a careful investigation."

82.26.124.72 (talk) 17:31, 8 November 2012 (UTC)