What is the origin of the term “plane of the spirit level”?
$begingroup$
I have heard the term "plane of the spirit level" e.g. the sun's shadows is X degrees to the plane of the spirit level to signify the surface of the earth and I see it is a common term used in surveying and as an instrument to show if there is a curvature.
My question is: where is this term coming from?
earth history
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I have heard the term "plane of the spirit level" e.g. the sun's shadows is X degrees to the plane of the spirit level to signify the surface of the earth and I see it is a common term used in surveying and as an instrument to show if there is a curvature.
My question is: where is this term coming from?
earth history
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I have heard the term "plane of the spirit level" e.g. the sun's shadows is X degrees to the plane of the spirit level to signify the surface of the earth and I see it is a common term used in surveying and as an instrument to show if there is a curvature.
My question is: where is this term coming from?
earth history
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
$endgroup$
I have heard the term "plane of the spirit level" e.g. the sun's shadows is X degrees to the plane of the spirit level to signify the surface of the earth and I see it is a common term used in surveying and as an instrument to show if there is a curvature.
My question is: where is this term coming from?
earth history
earth history
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
edited 20 mins ago
Jim
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
asked 3 hours ago
JimJim
1234
1234
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
A spirit level is an instrument used to find a horizontal or vertical plane. In surveying, the spirit level is used as a reference. Surveying instruments like the theodolite have a spirit level built in. This is used to set up the instrument, after which you can measure angles relative to that reference plane.
This makes sure you have a repeatable reference, and not one that depends on the incline of the local surface.
As to the origin of the name:
it's called a level because it is used to find a level surface (i.e. one that's horizontal). It's called a spirit level because the liquid inside is usually a spirit (i.e. a mix of alcohol and water).
Early tubular spirit levels had very slightly curved glass vials with constant inner diameter at each viewing point. These vials are incompletely filled with a liquid, usually a colored spirit or alcohol, leaving a bubble in the tube. They have a slight upward curve, so that the bubble naturally rests in the center, the highest point. At slight inclinations the bubble travels away from the marked center position. Where a spirit level must also be usable upside-down or on its side, the curved constant-diameter tube is replaced by an uncurved barrel-shaped tube with a slightly larger diameter in its middle.
Alcohols such as ethanol are often used rather than water. Alcohols have low viscosity and surface tension, which allows the bubble to travel the tube quickly and settle accurately with minimal interference from the glass surface. Alcohols also have a much wider liquid temperature range, and won't break the vial as water could due to ice expansion. A colorant such as fluorescein, typically yellow or green, may be added to increase the visibility of the bubble.
why "spirit":
The term "spirit" in reference to alcohol stems from Middle Eastern alchemy. These alchemists were more concerned with medical elixirs than with transmuting lead into gold. The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process (as with distillation of alcohol) was called a spirit of the original material
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
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1 Answer
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1 Answer
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$begingroup$
A spirit level is an instrument used to find a horizontal or vertical plane. In surveying, the spirit level is used as a reference. Surveying instruments like the theodolite have a spirit level built in. This is used to set up the instrument, after which you can measure angles relative to that reference plane.
This makes sure you have a repeatable reference, and not one that depends on the incline of the local surface.
As to the origin of the name:
it's called a level because it is used to find a level surface (i.e. one that's horizontal). It's called a spirit level because the liquid inside is usually a spirit (i.e. a mix of alcohol and water).
Early tubular spirit levels had very slightly curved glass vials with constant inner diameter at each viewing point. These vials are incompletely filled with a liquid, usually a colored spirit or alcohol, leaving a bubble in the tube. They have a slight upward curve, so that the bubble naturally rests in the center, the highest point. At slight inclinations the bubble travels away from the marked center position. Where a spirit level must also be usable upside-down or on its side, the curved constant-diameter tube is replaced by an uncurved barrel-shaped tube with a slightly larger diameter in its middle.
Alcohols such as ethanol are often used rather than water. Alcohols have low viscosity and surface tension, which allows the bubble to travel the tube quickly and settle accurately with minimal interference from the glass surface. Alcohols also have a much wider liquid temperature range, and won't break the vial as water could due to ice expansion. A colorant such as fluorescein, typically yellow or green, may be added to increase the visibility of the bubble.
why "spirit":
The term "spirit" in reference to alcohol stems from Middle Eastern alchemy. These alchemists were more concerned with medical elixirs than with transmuting lead into gold. The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process (as with distillation of alcohol) was called a spirit of the original material
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
A spirit level is an instrument used to find a horizontal or vertical plane. In surveying, the spirit level is used as a reference. Surveying instruments like the theodolite have a spirit level built in. This is used to set up the instrument, after which you can measure angles relative to that reference plane.
This makes sure you have a repeatable reference, and not one that depends on the incline of the local surface.
As to the origin of the name:
it's called a level because it is used to find a level surface (i.e. one that's horizontal). It's called a spirit level because the liquid inside is usually a spirit (i.e. a mix of alcohol and water).
Early tubular spirit levels had very slightly curved glass vials with constant inner diameter at each viewing point. These vials are incompletely filled with a liquid, usually a colored spirit or alcohol, leaving a bubble in the tube. They have a slight upward curve, so that the bubble naturally rests in the center, the highest point. At slight inclinations the bubble travels away from the marked center position. Where a spirit level must also be usable upside-down or on its side, the curved constant-diameter tube is replaced by an uncurved barrel-shaped tube with a slightly larger diameter in its middle.
Alcohols such as ethanol are often used rather than water. Alcohols have low viscosity and surface tension, which allows the bubble to travel the tube quickly and settle accurately with minimal interference from the glass surface. Alcohols also have a much wider liquid temperature range, and won't break the vial as water could due to ice expansion. A colorant such as fluorescein, typically yellow or green, may be added to increase the visibility of the bubble.
why "spirit":
The term "spirit" in reference to alcohol stems from Middle Eastern alchemy. These alchemists were more concerned with medical elixirs than with transmuting lead into gold. The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process (as with distillation of alcohol) was called a spirit of the original material
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
A spirit level is an instrument used to find a horizontal or vertical plane. In surveying, the spirit level is used as a reference. Surveying instruments like the theodolite have a spirit level built in. This is used to set up the instrument, after which you can measure angles relative to that reference plane.
This makes sure you have a repeatable reference, and not one that depends on the incline of the local surface.
As to the origin of the name:
it's called a level because it is used to find a level surface (i.e. one that's horizontal). It's called a spirit level because the liquid inside is usually a spirit (i.e. a mix of alcohol and water).
Early tubular spirit levels had very slightly curved glass vials with constant inner diameter at each viewing point. These vials are incompletely filled with a liquid, usually a colored spirit or alcohol, leaving a bubble in the tube. They have a slight upward curve, so that the bubble naturally rests in the center, the highest point. At slight inclinations the bubble travels away from the marked center position. Where a spirit level must also be usable upside-down or on its side, the curved constant-diameter tube is replaced by an uncurved barrel-shaped tube with a slightly larger diameter in its middle.
Alcohols such as ethanol are often used rather than water. Alcohols have low viscosity and surface tension, which allows the bubble to travel the tube quickly and settle accurately with minimal interference from the glass surface. Alcohols also have a much wider liquid temperature range, and won't break the vial as water could due to ice expansion. A colorant such as fluorescein, typically yellow or green, may be added to increase the visibility of the bubble.
why "spirit":
The term "spirit" in reference to alcohol stems from Middle Eastern alchemy. These alchemists were more concerned with medical elixirs than with transmuting lead into gold. The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process (as with distillation of alcohol) was called a spirit of the original material
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
$endgroup$
A spirit level is an instrument used to find a horizontal or vertical plane. In surveying, the spirit level is used as a reference. Surveying instruments like the theodolite have a spirit level built in. This is used to set up the instrument, after which you can measure angles relative to that reference plane.
This makes sure you have a repeatable reference, and not one that depends on the incline of the local surface.
As to the origin of the name:
it's called a level because it is used to find a level surface (i.e. one that's horizontal). It's called a spirit level because the liquid inside is usually a spirit (i.e. a mix of alcohol and water).
Early tubular spirit levels had very slightly curved glass vials with constant inner diameter at each viewing point. These vials are incompletely filled with a liquid, usually a colored spirit or alcohol, leaving a bubble in the tube. They have a slight upward curve, so that the bubble naturally rests in the center, the highest point. At slight inclinations the bubble travels away from the marked center position. Where a spirit level must also be usable upside-down or on its side, the curved constant-diameter tube is replaced by an uncurved barrel-shaped tube with a slightly larger diameter in its middle.
Alcohols such as ethanol are often used rather than water. Alcohols have low viscosity and surface tension, which allows the bubble to travel the tube quickly and settle accurately with minimal interference from the glass surface. Alcohols also have a much wider liquid temperature range, and won't break the vial as water could due to ice expansion. A colorant such as fluorescein, typically yellow or green, may be added to increase the visibility of the bubble.
why "spirit":
The term "spirit" in reference to alcohol stems from Middle Eastern alchemy. These alchemists were more concerned with medical elixirs than with transmuting lead into gold. The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process (as with distillation of alcohol) was called a spirit of the original material
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
edited 34 mins ago
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
answered 2 hours ago
HobbesHobbes
2,211915
2,211915
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
My question is why is it called "spirit level" not how we use it. I am curious on what is the meaning/origin of the term
$endgroup$
– Jim
1 hour ago
1
1
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
$begingroup$
spirits = alcohol. It's just a vial of alcohol with a bubble in it.
$endgroup$
– Ingolifs
59 mins ago
1
1
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim small SE pointer; the title of your question conflicts with the body of the question. In the title you ask for "the meaning of the term plane of the spirit level" but in the body you ask for the origin of the term; where it's coming from. That happens fairly regularly, especially if you write the title first. I usually wait until the question is finished before composing the title. That way I can better ensure that the title is an accurate reflection of what I ended up writing in the question. Now your comment asks for why it's called that, which is really a third question!
$endgroup$
– uhoh
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Jim so do you want to know about the plane itself, the term, the origin, or "the why"?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
$begingroup$
@uhoh: Yes. I updated the title. I am sorry for the confusion
$endgroup$
– Jim
19 mins ago
|
show 1 more comment
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