Would a ball-shaped automobile compass work for ghost investigation if left on a flat table ?

Question

Would a ball-shaped automobile compass work for ghost investigation if left on a flat table ?

Answer 1

Only if ghosts have a magnetic field around them, and of course there is no way of knowing if they do or not, assuming they exist in the first place. After all, even if one observed a compass needle suddenly shifting, there is no way to confirm that it was caused by a certain suspected phenomenon (a ghost) that is in all other ways undetectable. In order to approach it scientifically, you would need a testable method for first detecting the presence of a spirit, and then you can correlate that presence to a needle deflection.

However, if one assumes that ghosts have a magnetic field associated with them, then sure, a compass should deflect. I provided a link below from a ghost hunter website which talks about this, however the science they provide is very poor. For example, there is no reason to think that the compass needle will point to the source of an unknown magnetic disturbance. Depending on the polarity of the magnetic field it may just as well point away or to some arbitrary direction. Just for the record I don't think those auto ball compasses are all that sensitive, you can probably find more sensitive compasses elsewhere.

I also thought it was curious that in this web site they confidently insist paranormal activity occurs in a field strength of 1.5 to 6 milliGauss on the EMF meter, approximately. What scientific experiments were done to determine this? Just about ANYTHING can cause this sort of field strength in the home.

Answer 2

any type compass will work.

Answer 3

I think that collectively, Paranormal research may be looking in the wrong direction.

I would compare it to astronomy - where we observe what is going on, without fully understanding the mechanisms involved.

Trying to capture ghosts just because it affects EMF slightly is perhaps not the best way.

Ghosts we know sometimes appear in the visible spectrum, sometimes in the infra-red spectrum, and sometimes in the electromagnetic spectrum - almost as if it is a byproduct or phase shift effect.

What I think the paranormal teams from around the world should focus on is minute changes in gravitational field. Remember the incubus legends? People often felt as if a weight was pressing on them.

Scientifically we know that magnetism is linked to electricity , and similarly - Time is linked to gravity. As we are researching time disturbances - it makes sense to analyize gravity in this respect.

We presume this is a constant ALWAYS - what if it sometimes is not?

It would certainly explain some poltergeist activity.

Answer 4

Yes,it will work just as well as any other equipment.Even the most expensive available.The compass will bobble and move and these motions can then be called paranormal activity.

Answer 5

Some people have said this.

However, in 15 years of actual investigation, I've never seen it work.

We once set up an EMF detector and a compass about a foot apart to prove this. When the EMF detector went off, the compass... did nothing. However, I have heard of ghosts that are fond of toy balls, so if you leave it out and they happen to like it, perhaps they'd play with it.

Compasses react to magnetism, specifically, and not necessarily to any kinds of electromagnetic fields. Magnetic fields are not the same thing.

EDIT: TR: In general, my experience backs up the 1.5 to 6.0 milliGauss readings, but I stress that these are not normal EMF's, as they seem to rove without a specific source that can be traced to something like electrical wiring... they just hang in midair without any apparent source and actually drop off significantly (sometimes to 0) as the field gets close to an object. Not enough testing has ever been done, and without the backup of the scientific community, it's rather impossible to accomplish anything scientific.

Just for the record, I like the theory of EMF destructive interference as an explanation, or perhaps the inverse of that (constructive interference). EMF's are known to cause hallucinations in some people. All of this in conjunction might explain why people see ghosts all over the place, etc., but again... nobody's willing to take the tens of thousands of reports per year seriously, so no scientific conclusion is possible. We're stuck with having to rely on what we can figure out from the ground up.

Answer 6

we beleive that anything that is attracted to electromagnetic fields will work. It depends if there are spirits or ghosts in your home. Just make sure that it is not near any wiring or that the electricity is off for it to really work, or it will pick up on that electricity.

Answer 7

I don't know, that sounds a little rational.  Have you tried using the altimeter off a P-51 Mustang?  Try attaching it to the spare tire off a monster truck.  That increases it's effectiveness at finding ghosts.