Bed of nails
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A bed of nails is an oblong piece of wood, the size of a bed, with nails pointing upwards out of it.[1] While it appears at first glance that anyone lying on such a "bed" would be injured by the nails, if the nails are numerous enough, the weight is distributed among them so that the pressure exerted by each nail is not enough to puncture the person's skin.[2]
Uses
One use of such a device is for
The bed of nails is used by some for meditation, particularly in Asia, and for certain alleged health benefits, such as back pain relief, through acupressure.[5][unreliable source]
Less traditional settings, such as science centers, may use an electronic retractable bed of nails, where the user lies on a flat plastic bed with holes in it, and can then activate the machine to have nails rise up all at once. The nails should retract before getting off the bed. This retraction eliminates the most dangerous part of a traditional bed of nails, getting on and off the bed.
See also
References
- ^ "Phun Physics – Demonstrations". Phun.physics.virginia.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27.
- ^ Wilson, Tracy V. (2007-06-26). "HowStuffWorks "Lying on a Bed of Nails"". Entertainment.howstuffworks.com.
- OCLC 65377460.
- ^ "Bed of Nails". Physics.ucla.edu.
- ^ "About Bed of Nails". Bedofnails.org. Archived from the original on 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
External links
- The bed of nails in use as a school physics demonstration. Darylscience.com