Paranormal vs. Artefacts – October 14, 2002
Part four.
The most perplexing situations are those where there’s no “turn” at all. When I was a kid, I won coins by showing how fast I could be. The rules were simple: my opponent placed a coin in the palm of his hand. I then placed my own coin right below it, without touching it. Then, with incredible speed, I snatched his coin before he could close his hand. When we switched roles, he always lost. So, was I “faster than the average person”?
The following illustrations are once again taken from “One Thousand and One Scientific Nights”. They can be purchased from:
16 euros from Jean-Pierre Petit, Villa Jean-Christophe, Chemin de la Montagnère, 84120 Pertuis
Please write “Order for Lanturlu 2” on the order form.
There are two factors to consider here. The first is the time it takes for nerve impulses to travel. If you’re the one who decides to move your hand, you’ll be able to grab the coin before your opponent’s eyes can detect the movement, before his brain can process it, and before the command to contract his muscles reaches his fingers. But then, why am I able to grab the coin while he isn’t? Because my way of grabbing the coin is different and too fast to be noticed. Instead of closing my hand around the coin (which is what he tries to do), I tap his palm with my hand and fingers. This causes the coin to fly into the air, and then I simply close my hand around it. Once the coin is in the air, it belongs to me. Success rate: 100%. If I try to grab the coin using the “normal” method, my success rate drops to zero. It all comes down to tenths of a second.
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