Do magic actually exist???

[John Connelly]

I have a ceiling fan that never worked ever since we bought the house. Only the light worked. One time I had a friend of mine come along with some of his kids, and one of them claimed he had magical powers he could use to fix the fan. He waved his hand and the fan blades started to move. He was nowhere near the chains or any wall switches, and he warned me he doesn’t have enough powers to fix it fully so he warned me that it may take a while for fan blades to start moving once the wall switch is on, in which it did (it takes one second for blades to start to move). It, however, works on all three speeds with the pull chain, and it turns on instantly when I turned it on with the chain. But turning on the wall switch, it always take a second. And yes, the fan and the light are on the same switch, but lights go on first.

Now my question is, does the magic actually exist or that kid was doing some sort of magic tricks? And if anyone can figure out a possible trick, please tell me. All I know is that he was standing on floor, and he waved his hand without touching anything, and blades started to move. I never believed in magic but at the same time I can’t figure out any possible tricks.

 

[James]

Possible that it was trying to move but stuck slightly.
could he have caused a slight movement of air past a blade that moved it a little and the motor managed to pickup a little push start from that?

 

[John Connelly]

Possible that it was trying to move but stuck slightly.
could he have caused a slight movement of air past a blade that moved it a little and the motor managed to pickup a little push start from that?

Well I remember pushing it with my hand and it could spin freely when I pushed it, back when it didn’t work, and now that it works, it takes a couple of minutes for blades to stop once turned off. So it’s definitely not stuck.

Besides the way he waved would not push the blades if I remember correctly. It didn’t work for 5 years when we lived there and it now works for few days.

 

[littlespark]

Has this kid pinched the remote control for the fan on a previous visit to your house?

 

[John Connelly]

Has this kid pinched the remote control for the fan on a previous visit to your house?

I don’t think we ever had a remote, the fan has two chains. But I can figure out a trick now, maybe previous owner lost a remote and the fan has a remote installed (I might have to check, how do I check?) and it was left with fan off and light on.

 

[Intoelectrics]

Any chance you could send me this kid's number. I could use his magical powers, I pay good rates. Can he do any other tricks?

Seriously though do you actually believe that this is magic?

 

[Intoelectrics]

I don’t think we ever had a remote, the fan has two chains. But I can figure out a trick now, maybe previous owner lost a remote and the fan has a remote installed (I might have to check, how do I check?) and it was left with fan off and light on.

Glad you are seeing some sense now.

 

[Vortigern]

There are stranger things than in yours or mine philosophy Horatio...
As St. Thomas Aquinas said "There is no magic, merely unkown laws" Having said that... What about the miracles of Jesus Christ. The healings and exorcism and bringing back from the dead? Clearly that is a form of magic. The potential of humans shows that there are powers exhibited, while many may be fake and tricks, some are genuine. To beleive in magic is to keep alive a certain wonder at the universe we inhabit so I would not dismiss it out of hand but approach with much scepticism looking for tricks.

 

[littlespark]

A great philosopher once wrote:

“Your Ancestors Called it Magic, but You Call it Science. I Come From a Land Where They Are One and the Same”




Ok, it was in a Thor film, but it shows modern technology can be mistaken for magic…..
a small white ball can light up a room with no fire…
A picture on the wall shows moving pictures and thunderous sound….

And fairy dust allows a man to fly….

 

[John Connelly]

I still want an answer to my question. How do I find out if my fan has a remote installed?

I asked his parents if they have any ceiling fans with a remote and they said one of them does.

 

[Spoon]

I still want an answer to my question. How do I find out if my fan has a remote installed?

Maybe there is a model number on the fan you could look up.

 

[Simon47]

One thing I found out when I picked one up in a charity a few years ago is that these can effectively be "pick n mix". Pick the basic fan, pick suitable mounting bracket, pick option for light, and pick option for remote control.
For Fantasia, a remote control unit would be hidden under the dome at the top of the drop rod. I found stickers with very limited information on top of the motor unit.
The symptoms described would fit with there being a remote control which was previously turned off. Ask the boy's parents if you can borrow their remote - tyrn on the wall switch and try the remote options (probably off+3 speed for fan, and on/off/dim for light).
For better help, pictures will help. As close up as you can get of the whole unit, and the top of the mount.