1I used a similar illustration in one of my Royal
2Institution Christmas Lectures in 1991. I said I had reason
3to believe that among my audience was a psychic,
4clairvoyant individual, capable of influencing events
5purely by power of thought. I would try to flush this
6individual out. \quotation {Lets first establish,} I said,
7\quotation {whether the psychic is in the left half or the
8right half of the lecture hall.} I invited everybody to
9stand up while my assistant tossed a coin. Everybody on the
10left of the hall was asked to \quote {will} the coin to
11come down heads. Everybody on the right had to will it to be
12tails. Obviously one side had to lose, and they were asked
13to sit down. Then those that remained were divided into two,
14with half \quote {willing} heads and the other half tails.
15Again the losers sat down. And so on by successive halvings
16until, inevitably, after seven or eight tosses, one
17individual was left standing. \quotation {A big round of
18applause for our psychic.} He must be psychic, mustnt he,
19because he successfully influenced the coin eight times in
20a row?
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