History Lesson

[EOS_JD]

EOS_JD,

I'm not sure if you read my second post in this thread, but I'm not asking what does "f/stop" means? I'm not asking what the "f" in "f/stop" means? I am wondering if anyone has a different theory about why the word "stop" was chosen instead of the word "step" or "position". Ok maybe this is how I should word it... Where did the word "stop" come from in "f/stop"?

Sorry Richard! i was too busy reading all the replies

 

[RyanLilly]

I think that "sleep tight" came from the fact that before mattresses were stiffened bu using a box spring, beds had a mesh of rope holding up the mattress, you had to "tighten" the ropes to keep the mattress from sagging.
could be completely wrong though.

As for "stop" I'm going to vote for "I SAID F****** STOP!"

 

[JamesD]

I believe it's related to the usage "stop" as applied to pipe organs, actually. At least, that's what I've always thought.

A bit of looking around yields this:

Stop...

TRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To close (an opening or hole) by covering, filling in, or plugging up: The tea leaves stopped the drain. 2. To constrict (an opening or orifice): My nose is stopped up.

Source: http://www.bartleby.net/61/2/S0780200.html

This actually makes more sense considering usage such as: "Stop down the aperture."

 

[RyanLilly]

That pipe organ thing sounds right. A pipe organ tuner has to adjust a sleeve on the pipe up or down to open or close the size of the hole, thus adjusting the frequency of the tone. This is supposed to be the most detrimental occupation for someones hearing. Ill try to ask an organist that I know if he can confirm the origin of stop.

After all our sight and hearing are both perceived logarithmically, so a "stop" could work for both.