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You pour the substance over the gunpowder. If the wet gunpowder lighted, then the purity was considered high if it did not then the purity elwas considered low

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Why is alcohol content listed as proof?

The term originated in the UK. "Proof spirit" was defined as a spirit or alcohol with a gravity of 12/13 that of water - it got the name because the sailors used to be paid with rum, and they "proved" it had not been watered down by pouring it over gunpowder and testing to see if the gunpowder would still ignite.


What is proof spirit?

Alcoholic proof is a measure of how much ethanol there is in an alcoholic drink.Spirits were tested with gunpowder.A mixture of water and alcohol proved itself when it could be poured on a small amount of gunpowder and still light up the wet powder. If the powder did not ignite, the mixture had too much water in it and the proof was considered low.A "proof spirit" is defined as 100 degrees proof (100°). This is the same as 57.15% ethanol.


How much alcohol in 88 percent proof beverage?

In the 18th century and until 1 January 1980, Britain defined alcohol content in terms of "proof spirit," which was defined as the most dilute spirit that would sustain combustion of gunpowder. The term originated in the 18th century, when payments to British sailors included rations of rum. To ensure that the rum had not been watered down, it was "proofed" by dousing gunpowder in it, then testing to see if the gunpowder would ignite. If it did not burn, the rum contained too much water and was considered to be "under proof." A proven sample of rum was defined to be 100 degrees proof; this was later found to occur at 57.15% alcohol by volume, which is very close to a 4:7 ratio of alcohol to total amount of liquid. Thus, the definition amounted to declaring that (4÷7) × 175 = 100 degrees proof spirit.From this it followed that pure, 100% alcohol had (7÷7) × 175 = 175 degrees proof spirit, and that 50% ABV had (3.5÷7) × 175 = 87.5 degrees proof spirit. To convert percentage of alcohol by volume to degrees proof spirit, multiply the percentage by 1.75.In the United Kingdom, the proof-to-ABV ratio is 7:4. In the United States, it is 2:1.(Source Wikipedia)Therefore, 88 degrees proof in the UK would be very close to 50% ABV and 44% ABV in the USA.


Is there a simile in Touching Spirit Bear?

Cole's anger was about to explode like gunpowder.


Did proof in alcohol originally mean it could catch fire?

It meant it could catch fire at 100 proof if mixed with gunpowder.


What drink was once used to test gunpowder?

Whisky


How is gun powder related to alcohol proof?

An early means of testing the proof of alcohol was to wet gunpowder with the whiskey. If it burned, whiskey was at least 100 proof (50% alcohol) If it failed to burn, it was lesser proof.


Is it true that the higher the alcohol proof the lesser the alcohol content?

Nope. How do you tell how much alcohol a liquid contains? You can measure its density, but in the wild west you knew when they'd been watering back the whiskey because if you mixed it with gunpowder it wouldn't light. If you mix it with gunpowder and can get the gunpowder to burn you know its at least 50% alcohol by volume. This became know as 100 proof. 30% abv = 60 proof and so on.


What does bnp on an enfield rifle 1917 stand for?

It indicates that the rifle was proof tested at the Birmingham England Proof House. bnp is Birmingam Nitro Proof (nitro means smokeless gunpowder)


Who was the King of England at the time of the Gunpowder Plot?

King James I of scot (Mary gueen of Scots son) The Gunpowder Plot - The Proof http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3501265/9726127


Is paraffin test result conclusive evidence?

When collecting gunpowder residue for analysis, yes, this is an accepted test.


What is a EPT test?

error proof test, a home preqnancy test.