FLOATING NEEDLE, 1. the idle uninfluenced movement of the needle on the dial without any patterns or reactions in it. It can be as small as one inch or as large as dial wide. It does not fall or drop to the right of the dial. It moves to the left at the same speed as it moves to the right. It is observed on a Mark V E-meter calibrated with the TA between 2.0 and 3.0 with GIs in on the pc. It can occur after a cognition, blowdown of the TA or just moves into floating. The pc may or may not voice the cognition. (HCOB 7 May 69 V) 2. floating needles, free needles are the same thing. Once you’ve seen one you’ll never make a mistake on one again. For it floats. It ceases to register on the pc’s bank. It just idly floats about or won’t stand up even at low sensitivity. The TA goes to any place between 2 and 3 and the needle floats. (HCOB 2 Aug 65) Abbr. F/N.
FLOATING TA, the pc is so released the needle can’t be gotten onto the dial. The needle is swinging wider than the meter dial both ways from center and appears to lay first on one side and then the other. The TA can’t be moved fast enough to keep the extreme floating needle on the dial. (HCOB 24 Oct 71)
Hubbard, L. R. (1975). Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary. Los Angeles: Church of Scientology of California Publications Organization.