Posted by Lani on September 24, 2000 at 07:09:18:
In Reply to: Re: `Awa and the Firewalk posted by Ed on September 22, 2000 at 04:59:39:
Water Vapor Theory Dismissed by Tolly Burkin
"One theory I encountered on the subject was based on the "Leidenfrost Effect." Several physicists suggested that
the moisture on the sole of the foot created a vapor barrier that prevented the foot from actually contacting the
coals. The analogy was proposed that firewalking is similar to licking your finger and touching a hot iron to test
whether or not it is up to a sufficient temperature to press a garment. When the iron is hot enough, it literally
vaporizes the moisture on a fingertip, and the finger itself is repelled from the iron by water turning to vapor. This
is termed the Leidenfrost Effect, named after the man who first described it.
The Leidenfrost Effect can also be easily observed by putting a few drops of water on a hot griddle… when the
metal griddle is hot enough, the water beads up and dances around because the heat is so intense that the bottom
of the water drop is vaporized before the drop reaches the heated surface and the rising water vapor pushes up
against the underside of the drop, causing it to bounce off the escaping steam before it ever reaches the metal.
A physicist by the name of Jearl Walker was so convinced in the validity of this theory that he actually believed it
was impossible to get burned while firewalking. After severely injuring himself on a coalbed, he lost faith in this
theory. Once, during my early days of research, I observed someone getting burned during a firewalk, and back
in the 1970s I rejected this theory that had been based on the Leidenfrost Effect.
Conductivity Not An Issue
Another theory physicists have proposed is the "Conductivity Theory." The analogy used to illustrate this idea
was that of reaching into an oven to remove a hot cake pan. The air inside the oven is the same temperature as
the metal cake pan, yet one can reach an unprotected hand into the oven without injury. However, if you were to
grab the pan itself, the result would usually be a burn. The reason for this is that the air is a poor conductor of
heat, while the metal pan is a better conductor. Physicists theorized that the coals were poor conductors and that
was why a firewalker's foot was not burned in the coalbed.
In 1994, physicist Bernard Leikind visited the Firewalking Institute and tried to dramatically illustrate this concept
by strapping two sirloin steaks to his feet and then walking across a bed of coals while The Discovery Channel
filmed the event. The steaks seemed to be unaffected by the coalbed. He then placed a metal grill in the coals
and, when it was glowing red, he placed the same steaks on the grill and the metal instantly seared the meat. He
felt this sufficiently demonstrated that mental state had nothing to do with the phenomenon of firewalking. He
stated that it would not be possible for humans to walk on the glowing, red grill without injury.
As soon as he said this, a number of people from our staff walked on the grill without harm.
In fact, the grill was so red-hot, the weight of people walking on it bent the softened metal and left impressions of
the firewalkers' feet on the grill. We keep the grill with its molded footprints as a souvenir to help debunk the
conductivity theory.
When a physicist experiments with fire, the objects of observation are usually not living, conscious subjects. Rules
of conductivity can be applied in these instances. However, human beings are dynamic, self-regulating
organisms… thus research into firewalking is really outside the physicist's realm of training. People who research
the mind and body are more qualified to propose theories on firewalking than scientists who simply deal with static
matter.
It has always been my belief that mental state is the crucial variable when exploring the science of firewalking. Just
because a physicist can walk on the coalbed without harm does little to dismiss the idea that mental state is
important. His belief in his theory gives him the confidence to walk on the coals. The "confidence" itself is a
mental state. I suggested to Dr. Leikind that we blindfold him and lead him in various directions near the coalbed
so that he would have no way of preparing himself mentally before actually stepping onto the embers. He
refused. He also refused to walk on the metal grill, so I assume that at some level he too must realize there is more
to the phenomenon than simple physics.