The EMF meter that electrical engineers use is called ghost meter by 'ghost hunters'. Whenever they go to explore a 'haunted place', they take an EMF meter with them. If they see a sudden spike in emf meter, they say something supernatural is present there. I am a religious person but I have always questioned this method. How logical is this conclusion? Does an abrupt change in EMF meter always mean there is something inexplicable? Can't there be any other reason that may create a spike?

 

Does an abrupt change in EMF meter always mean there is something inexplicable?

Nope. Natural and man-made events can create electrical interference which can be detected with a suitable meter.

 

For ghosts i would prefer a receiver-transmitter principle and detect the ghost “cover” the receiver.
Think about radio when person comes around antenna, the signal gets weaker or radio isn’t tuned anymore.

A wave reflection from ghost can also be a way.

 

There's no logic in using an EMF meter to search for ghosts, and there's no logic in religion either

 

Nope. Natural and man-made events can create electrical interference which can be detected with a suitable meter.

For example?

 

I would ask myself
What's most likely:
a) The meter is picking up an EMF signal from some source requiring no supernatural explanation, but the operator of the instrument doesn't know enough about physics, or
b) Dead people are visiting and producing an EMF signal which can only be "explained" by ghosts.
Because I don't have any supernatural beliefs, answer a) would be my answer. I think Occam's razor would also suggest answer a)

 

For example?

Arc welding, lightning, power lines, unsuppressed electric motors and various domestic appliances ......

 

For example?

A passing plane using its transmitter to request clearance.
An explosive burst of radiation from a dying star somewhere in our galaxy or in the cosmos.
Static charge buildup from blowing dust.
I don't believe in ghosts. But that doesn't mean there aren't any, it's merely what I believe.

 

A passing plane using its transmitter to request clearance.
An explosive burst of radiation from a dying star somewhere in our galaxy or in the cosmos.
Static charge buildup from blowing dust.
I don't believe in ghosts. But that doesn't mean there aren't any, it's merely what I believe.

Thank you for your explanation. I don't believe in ghost either. However, the religion that I follow believes in a supernatural being called 'jinn'. They are quite different from ghosts. And here I have seen some 'paranormal researchers' going to abandoned buildings and jungles with EMF meters in search of them. They attribute every spike in the EMF meter to their presence.

 

For example?

I have a 5-1/2 digit digital volt meter. With the leads laying on the bench and not connected to anything, the reading changes when the air conditioner comes on, or when someone walks into the room, or when lightning strikes miles away, or or or . . .

And, since this is a circuits forum, we have a circuit for that:

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/60s/68/Poptronics-1968-06.pdf
https://deramp.com/swtpc.com/PopularElectronics/Jun1968/PE_Jun1968.htm

There is another hobby magazine article using the same passive-sensor principle as a sensor for a burglar alarm system. Still hunting.

ak

 

The EMF meter that electrical engineers use is called ghost meter by 'ghost hunters'. Whenever they go to explore a 'haunted place', they take an EMF meter with them. If they see a sudden spike in emf meter, they say something supernatural is present there. I am a religious person but I have always questioned this method. How logical is this conclusion? Does an abrupt change in EMF meter always mean there is something inexplicable? Can't there be any other reason that may create a spike?

What could change in the treatment of a subject as an EMF meter if anyone is a "religious" (whatever that could mean) person?

 

They attribute every spike in the EMF meter to their presence.

This is not a direct example of Maslow's axiom, but certainly a related one.

"I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

- Abraham Maslow, Professor of Psychology at Brandeis University
"The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance", 1966

ak

 

IMO it's needed a proof that when supernatural things are near there's EMF different than the normal. And after all of these years that we have this technology, after all of super religious/connected/medium people (they call themselves it), we don't have this simple proof. It's easy to play with our illusion and it's not fun for some people to play with science. When you mix them both, you get people playing with science equipments while having fun playing with their illusion.
That and that human beings try to find patterns in everything that's possible, it's a fertile soil to grow anything imaginable.

 

I once saw a rabbit in the sky. How it got there - I could attribute it to anything I like or believe. The fact is that it was just a cloud formation that appeared like a rabbit.

Somewhere in South America (I think) window washers washed the windows of a huge building. They inadvertently left some soap residue on the glass. Someone noticed it looked like the Virgin Mary watching them. Supernatural? I kind of doubt it. In fact, I absolutely doubt it.

What do these so called supernatural appearance do for anyone other than make them think there's some supernatural spirit watching over them? Nobody suddenly gets cured of pancreatic cancer or a missing limb regrows. There may be a heart felt warmth but that's just the brain believing there's something heart warming going on. It's like phantom pain when a limb is severed and the body suddenly has an itch on a limb that is no longer there. I had an injury to my arm. I could touch my shoulder and SWEAR there was someone touching my middle finger. Not slightly - but strongly. It's almost funny what the brain can do - or think.

Now, I wouldn't take away from anyone who chooses to believe as they do. We all have the right to believe as we see fit. No one can say "You're wrong", even though you might be wrong. BUT you might be right. Who of us can say otherwise?!

 

IMO it's needed a proof that when supernatural things are near there's EMF different than the normal.

Didn't you know? Ghosts resonate at about 55 Hz. The more iron they consume the stronger they resonate.

 

Wouldn't an increase in iron content lower the resonant frequency? If so, then traffic light sensors could detect ghosts.

ak

 

How logical is this conclusion?

For it to be logical there would have to be some sort of logical inference, such as "ghost 'bodies' have been shown to emit EMF, an EMF meter measures EMF therefore an EMF meter indicates the presence of ghosts".

If the premises are true then it is logical. So, the difficulty isn't the logic, it's the faulty premise. No one has shown that ghosts emit EMF—they just assert it. Even the existence of hosts is a matter of believing something without rational evidence.

In the end it is "logical" if EMF meters can detect ghosts. But as far as the rational evidence goes, ghosts don't exist and non-existent things are particularly hard to detect—even for the most expensive meters.

 

If no living organism on planet earth emits enough EMF to be detected by those handheld meters, why would ghosts suddenly start emitting many orders of magnitude more EMF?

 

If no living organism on planet earth emits enough EMF to be detected by those handheld meters,

Orsted (1820), and Ampere (1854): Any current through any conductor creates a magnetic field.

I know a couple of biomedical engineers. If I can remember this until the next time I see one of them,, I'll ask about non-contact EKG and EEG systems.

ak

 

Or, as the Right Reverend Doctor P. T. Barnum put it "There's a sucker born every minute"!