Is it possible to lift a person up with only one finger?

[Johnny blaze]

Whilst at college, myself and three others were able to lift up quite a large and heavy individual using just one finger each.

The individual concerned was sitting on a normal school chair, and whilst I fully understand the science of distributing loads evenly etc.. None of us had ANY stress on any of our fingers at all.

The guy concerned almost floated up, still sitting in his chair!....I cannot say the landing wasn't as gentle, but hey it wasn't me or you in the chair, and you know what they say about "the heavier you are..

If I can remember correctly (and please understand that a fair amount of my time was spent conducting my own experiments for the love of human kind, to see if inhaling certain green leafs, left any long lasting effects on ones body) Anyway, we all used our index fingers and placed them strategically around his body and under the chair.

He really did just float up! (or was that just me?)

Seriously though, the girl who organised it said there was some magic involved, and the way he just rose up would have put David copperfield to shame.

Am I dreaming or was this possible? If so what would be the correct way of doing it again? So that when I need a seat on the tube train I can just whip out my finger and....

Ps. My college experiment ended over 12 years ago.

[Eastender]

No its not magic, we used to do this years ago. Place someone on a chair then 3 to 4 people place there fingers underneath and for some reason the chair goes up with the person in the chair. But could'nt tell you how or why it works, there must be some boffin out there who caan enlighten us ??????????

[gary baldy]

I think has something to do with lactic acid in the muscles.
Did you push down on his head first?
I think you can have a temporary surge of lactic acid to muscles if you exert yourself and in that time you have 'super strength'.
I may be way off on this but thats how i understand it works - no magic i'm afraid.

Somebody put me right on this if im wrong.

[LazyGun]

I seem to distantly remember doing something similar myself many moons ago whilst I was at school, with an anvil. The key to it was that we all had to press down really heavily for about a minute before attempting the lift. I think that pressing down like that kind of "numbs" the muscle, so when you lift, you dont feel how much effort you are putting into it.

Im not sure about the lactic acid thing tho gb... i always thought that the build up of lactic acid in the muscle was the cause of fatigue and cramp etc?

[joko]

lactic acid is what causes your muscles to ache the DAY AFTER you have done something strenuous that you are not used to. rubbing the muscle immediately after the activity stops this happening.

i agree about the pressure thing first though, you have to do it quickly because that 'rising sensation' doesn't last long. they do something similar in the alexander technique. - must remember that next time i need to carry something heavy...

[gary baldy]

Perhaps it is adrenalin not lactic acid!
My chemistry or biology teacher explained how it worked but it was over 20 years ago and i probably wasnt even listening properly at the time (lloking out the window across to the girls school probably)

[chefalo]

its power of suggestion nothing less nothing more

[chefalo]

to expand onj that what i mean is the 1st time you dont think it will happen and it doesnt and the 2nd time it does because every one lifts together and you think you can do it and you put more effort in without realizing it im a magician and this is a very very old phycholigical trick