[thedoc (OP)]

Akshay Jain  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Hi

I am Akshay and I am going nuts over dowsing methods . How does that work ?

Btw there is this technique followed here in India for finding water (crude,old technique) works only with some people though. The person holds a coconut flat on his palm and walks around the plot. Coincidentally , as soon as he walks over a region where there is a lot of groundwater the coconut stands upright on his palm!

Here is a video link if you didn't get what I am trying to tell:

Hoping to get a reasonable explanation.
Akshay A Jain
India

What do you think?

[RD]

I am Akshay and I am going nuts over dowsing methods .

coco-nuts ?

How does that work ? 

Tilting the hand makes the coconut stand on the rounder heavier end, (similar to weeble),
If not done deliberately (i.e. faking) then unconsciously / involuntarily via ideomotor effect when the person believes they are close to the thing they are dowsing for, (e.g. when they can see changes in the ground).   

If anyone can really dowse a million dollar prize awaits ... http://www.randi.org/library/dowsing/ [ no one has won it yet ].