So, I started pondering this idea when I got myself a glass of water earlier. No matter how I tilted my glass, the waterline would stay horizontal, and it made me wonder, is this waterline the most accurate measure of something being level? Meaning, no matter if you're standing on a crooked floor, or a skyscraper, the waterline will always be exactly level to the Earth's surface or core or something like that, whatever things are level to (and exactly what are things level to?). But is this necessarily true?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then that got me thinking of the Earth's roundness, and the oceans, and gravity, and how exactly that works out or makes sense with this.

that can be calculated with formulas but i dont have the science book the formula was in :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but every object pulls to every other object and the greater the mass the greater pull is but if the distant get bigger the pull gets less

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that is why a space shuttle can fly to the moon and back but the moon wont just ly away because the moon is sooo big it is still affected by earth gravity while human made objects up that high are light enough to be some sort of weightless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit some more thinking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the water in the glass is almoast perfectly smooth not at the edges that has to do with the cup or glass

 

 

 

nut in the middle it looks as flat as something can be

 

 

 

but that is because the erat si soo huge that such a tine spot can't be noticed a different in flatness.

 

 

 

the oceans are like big cups of water too but they are soo big that you can notice they bow round with the earth

tension will affect it in the glass but yeah it should be level no matter what angle you are stood. thats why they use those long things with a bubble in to check things are level in the building trade

tension will affect it in the glass but yeah it should be level no matter what angle you are stood. thats why they use those long things with a bubble in to check things are level in the building trade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was wondering for a while if levels used this concept. :-k

i think it is because gravity is pulling oon all og it evernly so itd be level

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i guess tat why they have water and an air bubble tells you if something is level in those bar levelers.

Before the invention of the spirit level, water levels were used for all major buildings, including the Pyramids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accepted European method was to use hose pipe with a marked glass tube in either end. The hose pipe was filled up with water to the two marks. The tubes were then stoppered. After that, no matter how far apart the tubes were, as long as the water just touched the mark, both ends of the hose pipe would be exactly level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is believed that the Egyptians dug the foundations for the Pyramids, then filled them with water. Then marked the water levels around the foundations. After that, it was easy to measure down from the marks for a perfectly level foundation.

yes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever see a level (construction tool)? that works on water being level.

In a way you can use it, but water isn't flat inside of a glass

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscus

In a way you can use it, but water isn't flat inside of a glass

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscus

Thats it lol, I just couldn't remember the proper name

I am not sure the answer to this question...at first guess i would have to say yes...but i am not sure...I think that water level is pretty much the same unless you make it move i guess...

In a way you can use it, but water isn't flat inside of a glass

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscus

I was wondering how many posts it would take for someone to mention the meniscus. Water is never completely level, there will always be a slight dip in the middle. It is how levels work, though.

Yes. That simple. Yes.

For all intents and purposes, yes it is. In actuality, no, it isn't. It is as flat as the Earth is. If you look outside, it almost looks as if the Earth is flat. We know the earth is a sphere (or close to it) though. The effect is so minuscule that you only notice on an ocean or something.

While it isn't perfectly flat, in a small tube (ie a water level) it is drawn to the gravity of the earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water levels have been, are, and ever shall be the most accurate levelling technology. Whether it's a ruler with a small tube or a sophisticated laser setup, levelling always boils down to an air bubble in a tube of water.

it doesnt have to do with the curve of the earth, just has to do with the Water molecules dispursing evenly, if it is pure then yes it is "perfectly level" but don't get it confused with how to earth is shaped.

Man Vikor, you ask the weirdest questions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway my guess would be no bevause some frequency or other sort of stimuli would keep it from not vibrating

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off topic: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: w00t 200th post....well technically 201st post but the topic I comment my 200th on got locked : : : : :

it doesnt have to do with the curve of the earth, just has to do with the Water molecules dispursing evenly, if it is pure then yes it is "perfectly level" but don't get it confused with how to earth is shaped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Um, yes it does deal with the Earth on a very minute level. Ignoring the meniscus part of the problem, if you have a glass of water the water isn't perfectly flat. On a small scale such as that the roundness is basically nothing, I don't know if you could ever measure it on that sort of scale.

But the wider the container, the more shallow the meniscus. Thats why levels have wide pill-shaped containers.

Water is probably the closest you can get to being perfectly level.

How about lasers?

How about lasers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

those are the closest to being level atm.

 

 

 

thats why surveyors use them.

The only problem with laser's is that light is bent by matter, I think all matter no just glass/clear stuff, but also planets-I don't know if mass has anything to do with it

ignore this.

It's generally a very level surface, that of liquid water (due to gravity, obviously), as long as it is undisturbed. You don't need to over think this too much.

tension will affect it in the glass but yeah it should be level no matter what angle you are stood. thats why they use those long things with a bubble in to check things are level in the building trade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good vocab : ) it's a spirit level

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I don't understand is what it's horizontal agaisnt, is it horizontal with vertical pull of gravity? In which case horizontal is not the same everywhere.... in which case if we had a massive (like 20miles long) then horizontal at one end would not be horizontal at the other end. Hard to explain :oops:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~MAK