clinometer

/klai'nɔmitə/

Thân thiện

A surveyor uses a clinometer to measure the angle of a hill.

Definition

Noun: 1. A surveying instrument for measuring angles of slope, elevation, or depression: A clinometer is a tool, often handheld, used to determine the angle between an observer's line of sight and the horizontal plane. It is commonly used in fields like surveying, forestry, and engineering to measure the steepness of a slope or the height of an object.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The geologist used a clinometer to measure the dip of the rock layers.
  • Accurate measurement of the hill's angle with a clinometer is essential for the road construction plan.
  • Foresters often employ a clinometer to estimate tree heights.

Advanced Usage

• "To take a clinometer reading": The act of using the instrument to obtain a measurement.
  • Before proceeding, the surveyor stopped to take a clinometer reading of the terrain.

Variants and Related Words

• Inclinometer (n): A synonym for clinometer; an instrument for measuring angles of tilt or slope.
  • The engineer checked the machinery's alignment with a digital inclinometer.

Synonyms

• Inclinometer: An instrument for measuring angles of slope, tilt, or elevation.
• Tiltmeter: A sensitive instrument designed to measure very small changes in the tilt of the ground or structures.

Notes on Meaning

The core meaning of clinometer is specifically tied to the measurement of inclination angles. While it is a precise technical tool in professional contexts, simpler versions of the concept (like an app on a smartphone that measures angle) perform a similar function based on the same principle.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an instrument used by surveyors in order to measure an angle of inclination or elevation

Từ đồng nghĩa

• inclinometer