A Linear Pendulum Experiment:
Effects of Operator Intention on Damping Rate
R. D. Nelson, G. J. Bradish, R. G. Jahn, and B. J. Dunne

Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol 8, No 4, pp 471-489, 1994

Also available in expanded form as Technical Note PEAR 93003,
Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Princeton University,
Princeton, NJ 08544

An attractive pendulum consisting of a two-inch crystal ball suspended
on a fused silica rod is the focus of an experiment to measure possible
effects of conscious intention on an analog physical system. The
pendulum is enclosed in a clear acrylic box, and provided with a
computer controlled mechanical system to release it from the same
starting height in repeated runs. A high speed binary counter registers
interruptions of photodiode beams, to measure velocities at the nadir of
the pendulum arc with microsecond accuracy. In runs of 100 swings,
taking about three minutes, operators attempt to keep swings high, i.
e., to decrease the damping rate (HI); to reduce swing amplitude, i. e.,
to increase the damping rate (LO); or to take an undisturbed baseline (BL).

Over a total of 1545 sets, generated by 42 operators, the HI \- LO
difference is significant in the direction of intention for five
individuals, and the difference between intention and baseline runs is
significant and positive for five other operators. The overall HI \- LO
difference is reduced to non-significance by strong negative
performances from several operators, four of whom have comparably large
scores in the direction opposite to intention. Analysis of variance
reveals significant internal structure in the database (main effects $F
sub {4, 189}~=~ 2.845,~~p~=~.025$). Subset comparisons indicate that
male operators tend to score higher than females, and that randomly
instructed trials tend toward higher scores than volitional trials,
especially for male operators. Trials generated with the operator in a
remote location have a larger effect size than the local trials.

While direct comparisons are not straightforward, it appears that
effects of operator intention on the pendulum damping rate may be
similar in magnitude and style to those in other human/machine
interaction experiments. Although this result fails to support an
experimental hypothesis that the analog nature of the pendulum
experiment would engender larger effect sizes, it does confirm a basic
similarity of consciousness effects across experiments using
fundamentally different physical systems.
===

Wishing for Good Weather: A Natural Experiment in Group Consciousness
Roger. D. Nelson

Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research, School of Engineering/Applied
Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544

Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 47-58

Many human activities are affected by the weather, and there is a long
history of rituals and ceremonial efforts aimed at controlling it. In
modern societies, such efforts are largely vestigial and amount to
informal hoping or wishing for good weather for special occasions.
Reunion and commencement activities at Princeton University, involving
thousands of alumni, graduates, family and others, are held outdoors,
and it is often remarked that they are almost always blessed with good
weather. A comparison of the recorded rainfall in Princeton vs. nearby
communities shows that there is significantly less rain, less often, in
Princeton on those days with major outdoor activities.