The way to go, or is it? A compass has always been the thing you wished I had when I need it. Or something I posses when I have no need to know what direction I am going.
Jason Black
They had been walking for what seemed like hours. the track they needed to get back, was nowhere to be found. The cuts and bruises on their legs attested to this. And where was the compass? Back in the car, in it’s holder, in the glove box…
compass
follow
direction
location
north
east
south
west
adventure
place
destination
pirate
kayla
So small.
I am so small.
I have been lost for far too long.
But now, I’ve realized
He is my compass
my way in life
I forge my way, only to find my way to Him.
I follow the compass.
You are my north
You save me, today.
Rosario
Things a compass will tell you:
The direction of the strongest magnetic field.
Things a compass won’t tell you:
Where you are.
Where do you need to be.
Which way is actually North.
What time it is.
If she loves you.
If you’re going to die before finding out.
compasses are much more reliable when they are internal—but maybe not. maybe it is most feasble to really on that external man-made- human perffected compass cause those have the luxury of dual manipulation. more trusted in my opinioln.
Bearings, direction, and purpose everything you think about when referring to your universal compass. We always need to know where we are going in life and imagine our destination until we get there. As long as our drive is sincere our compass will always be pointed in the correct direction.
Q
I love when you hear great music and, suddenly, your body stops listening to your brain and starts dancing to the compass of music. It’s really, really, great.
Owl
A compass is for getting where you’re going, but it won’t do me any good because I don’t know which way is North anymore. I wish I could follow the stars, but the lights are too bright.
Mary
When you think about it for a second, compasses will always point you in the wrong direction. The one way to all they will fail. Compass. Right?
a compass is a tool that you use to direct your way while traveling or figuring out directions. you can have a literal compass or a figurative compass, either will point you in the direction you are searching for. whether in your personal life and dreams and aspirations, or which road to take when at an intersection. a compass can point the way.
Heidi
I twisted it around in my hand, making overlapping circle upon overlapping circle. Once or twice I pricked myself on the compass’ sharp needle. By the time I was done there were holes in the paper.
A direction. No one needs to tell you where to go. Not even your own moral compass. Think. Live. Live your life with out a compass. Go for it.
Wiley
She walked into the forest. It was dark and mossy and smelt of damp earth. She heard the distant echo of a bird’s twitter as it moved through the upper branches. She knew that she would have to walk for a long distance and she just hoped that it was in the right direction.
The compass is used to guide oneself in a certain direction. The word calls to mind Columbus, Magellan, and other such renowned sailors. There’s also the moral compass, otherwise known as the conscience. Sometimes I worry that I don’t really have one of those. I fit the technical definition of a sociopath.
anon
She looked down at the compass and began to panic. “This can’t be right,” she thought. She spun in circles. No matter what direction the trinket pointed, the only direction she wanted to run was back into his arms.
cmd
North: A tall, ghostly fellow. He is skinny and frail.
South: A big, burly woman, dressed in drag.
West: A small little girl, with cold hands and a warm heart.
East: A tiny little boy, making leaps over puddles in the street.
I’d like a compass that directed me to your heart. That could transport me to you anytime I feel lonely. Anxious. Tired. Longing to run my fingers through your velvet hair and kiss your supple lips. Stare into those eyes like ferns in the forest. Touch that slow gentle heartbeat in time with mine. That compass could then take us anywhere in the world and we could hide away. Just for awhile. To enjoy us. To breath us. To live us. I wonder where I could get this compass. Do you know?
The compass had broke. I was lost and alone in a vast forest. A forest of green and purple hues. Of beautiful animals and smells. Surely this was a forest I wouldn’t mind getting lost in.
She was my compass. She always told me right from wrong. She even told me left from right, when it came down to it. I was never very good at making my own decisions. If I were a compass, my needle would wave back and forth, and spin wildly after a couple of drinks. Her needle was steady. Strong. Decided. I needed her.
Lauren
to the moon I go-
with a compass?
What good will that do?
Does it work up there?
We shall see.
Roxanne
There was once a golden compass. Furious in nature, its greed glittered across the lands – calling all who ventured near.
However, not every adventurer was destined to find this compass. No; one one would be chosen by it. And this one… would be the one to change the world, discover new lands, and make its dream come true.
devrism
I saw the compass i held it in my hand. it was cold. i didn’t what to do with it. it had been passed down to me from my father and he had it in his family for a long time. I needed to get it fixed. I had to find my way back to town. I needed to get supplies.
BrB
He is my compass, my road back home.
He is everything I’ve come to adore.
He is my way to a better life, one
Drowned in him and
One I will always cherish.
He is the road to my dreams and my hope.
And to a happy, long life.
AngelDuCiel
Gabe had gotten lost one too many times in the years she’d been wandering the wilderness and she just couldn’t resist the shiny compass h sitting in the window of a nearby shop.
I’m holding on to the window, afraid that I won’t know you anymore if I can’t see the world, living, breathing, BEING, outside of it. Because all I have is a map of everything, a place you told me you were at, a vague destination I will never reach; all I have is the idea that you are still alive in a world where I never knew you.
His shoe catches on the edge of the filthy carpet, flinging him in the air, along with the candlestick in his hand onto the desert sand. He sits up, spits and readjusts his eyes to a perfectly moonlit night, with the stars twinkling so brightly as if competing for his attention. He reaches for the compass in his left breast pocket and realized that he left it in the tent, giving him no choice but to use the eager stars as his guide for his long trek home.
A compass is a navigational instrument that measures directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions (or points) – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined. Usually, a diagram called a compass rose, which shows the directions (with their names usually abbreviated to initials), is marked on the compass. When the compass is in use, the rose is aligned with the real directions in the frame of reference, so, for example, the “N” mark on the rose really points to the north. Frequently, in addition to the rose or sometimes instead of it, angle markings in degrees are shown on the compass. North corresponds to zero degrees, and the angles increase clockwise, so east is 90 degrees, south is 180, and west is 270. These numbers allow the compass to show azimuths or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation.
There are two widely used and radically different types of compass. The magnetic compass contains a magnet that interacts with the earth’s magnetic field and aligns itself to point to the magnetic poles. The gyrocompass (sometimes spelled with a hyphen, or as two words) contains a rapidly spinning wheel whose rotation interacts dynamically with the rotation of the earth so as to make the wheel precess, losing energy to friction until its axis of rotation is parallel with the earth’s.
The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty.[1][2][3] The compass was used in Song Dynasty China by the military for navigational orienteering by 1040-1044,[4][5][6] and was used for maritime navigation by 1117.[7] The use of a compass is recorded in Western Europe between 1187 and 1202,[8][9][10] and in Persia in 1232.[11] The dry compass was invented in Europe around 1300.[12] This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.
There are two widely used and radically different types of compass. The magnetic compass contains a magnet that interacts with the earth’s magnetic field and aligns itself to point to the magnetic poles.[14] Simple compasses of this type show directions in a frame of reference in which the directions of the magnetic poles are due north and south. These directions are called magnetic north and magnetic south. The gyro compass (sometimes spelled with a hyphen, or as one word) contains a rapidly spinning wheel whose rotation interacts dynamically with the rotation of the earth so as to make the wheel precess, losing energy to friction until its axis of rotation is parallel with the earth’s. The wheel’s axis therefore points to the earth’s rotational poles, and a frame of reference is used in which the directions of the rotational poles are due north and south. These directions are called true north and true south, respectively. The astrocompass works by observing the direction of stars and other celestial bodies.
There are other devices which are not conventionally called compasses but which do allow the true cardinal directions to be determined. Some GPS receivers have two or three antennas, fixed some distance apart to the structure of a vehicle, usually an aircraft or ship. The exact latitudes and longitudes of the antennas can be determined simultaneously, which allows the directions of the cardinal points to be calculated relative to the heading of the aircraft (the direction in which its nose is pointing), rather than to its direction of movement, which will be different if there is a crosswind. They are said to work “like a compass”, or “as a compass”.
Even a simple GPS device or similar can be used as compass, since if the receiver is being moved, even at walking pace, it can follow the change of its position, and hence determine the compass bearing of its direction of movement, and thence the directions of the cardinal points relative to its direction of movement. A much older example was the Chinese south-pointing chariot, which worked like a compass by directional dead reckoning. It was initialized by hand, possibly using astronomical observations e.g. of the Pole Star, and thenceforth counteracted every turn that was made to keep its pointer aiming in the desired direction, usually to the south. Watches and sundials can also be used to find compass directions. See their articles for details.
A recent development is the electronic compass which detects the direction without potentially fallible moving parts. This may use a fibre optic gyrocompass or a magnetometer. The magnetometer frequently appears as an optional subsystem built into hand-held GPS receivers and mobile phones. However, magnetic compasses remain popular, especially in remote areas, as they are relatively inexpensive, durable, and require no power supply.[15]
[edit]Magnetic compass
The magnetic compass consists of a magnetized pointer (usually marked on the North end) free to align itself with Earth’s magnetic field. A compass is any magnetically sensitive device capable of indicating the direction of the magnetic north of a planet’s magnetosphere. The face of the compass generally highlights the cardinal points of north, south, east and west. Often, compasses are built as a stand alone sealed instrument with a magnetized bar or needle turning freely upon a pivot, or moving in a fluid, thus able to point in a northerly and southerly direction.
The compass greatly improved the safety and efficiency of travel, especially ocean travel. A compass can be used to calculate heading, used with a sextant to calculate latitude, and with a marine chronometer to calculate longitude. It thus provides a much improved navigational capability that has only been recently supplanted by modern devices such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The compass was invented during the Chinese Han Dynasty between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD.[1] The dry compass was invented in medieval Europe around 1300.[12] This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.[13]
[edit]How a magnetic compass works
A compass functions as a pointer to “magnetic north” because the magnetized needle at its heart aligns itself with the lines of the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field exerts a torque on the needle, pulling one end or pole of the needle toward the Earth’s North magnetic pole, and the other toward the South magnetic pole. The needle is mounted on a low-friction pivot point, in better compasses a jewel bearing, so it can turn easily. When the compass is held level, the needle turns until, after a few seconds to allow oscillations to die out, one end points toward the North magnetic pole.
A magnet or compass needle’s “north” pole is defined as the one which is attracted to the North magnetic pole of the Earth, in northern Canada. Since opposite poles attract (“north” to “south”) the North magnetic pole of the Earth is actually the south pole of the Earth’s magnetic field.[16][17][18] The compass needle’s north pole is always marked in some way: with a distinctive color, luminous paint, or an arrowhead.
Instead of a needle, professional compasses usually have bar magnets glued to the underside of a disk pivoted in the center so it can turn, called a “compass card”, with the cardinal points and degrees marked on it. Better compasses are “liquid-filled”; the chamber containing the needle or disk is filled with a liquid whose purpose is to damp the oscillations of the needle so it will settle down to point to North more quickly, and also to protect the needle or disk from shock.
In navigation, directions on maps are expressed with reference to geographical or true north, the direction toward the Geographical North Pole, the rotation axis of the Earth. Since the Earth’s magnetic poles are near, but are not at the same locations as its geographic poles, a compass does not point to true north. The direction a compass points is called magnetic north, the direction of the North magnetic pole, located in northeastern Canada. Depending on where the compass is located on the surface of the Earth the angle between true north and magnetic north, called magnetic declination can vary widely, increasing the farther one is from the prime meridian of the Earth’s magnetic field. The local magnetic declination is given on most maps, to allow the map to be oriented with a compass parallel to true north.
In geographic regions near the magnetic poles, in northeastern Canada and Antarctica, variations in the Earth’s magnetic field cause magnetic compasses to have such large errors that they are useless, so other instruments must be used for navigation.
The positions of the magnetic poles change over time on a time-scale that is not extremely long by human standards. Significant movements happen in a few years. (Over millions of years, the directions of the true poles also shift, because of continental drift.) For an observer at any point on the earth’s surface, there is an angle, called the magnetic declination (or magnetic variation), between the directions of magnetic north and true north. The magnetic declination is different at different points on the earth, and changes with time. Close to the equator, the magnetic declination is no more than a few degrees, but in arctic and Antarctic latitudes it can be much greater. Some magnetic compasses include means to compensate for the magnetic declination, so that the compass shows true directions, relative to the earth’s rotational poles. The user of such a compass has to know the local value of the magnetic declination, and adjust the compass accordingly.
[edit]History
The first compasses were made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized ore of iron.[3] Ancient Chinese people found that if a lodestone was suspended so it could turn freely, it would always point in the same direction, toward the magnetic poles. Early compasses were used for geomancy “in the search for gems and the selection of sites for houses,” but were later adapted for navigation during the Song Dynasty in the 11th century.[3] Later compasses were made of iron needles, magnetized by striking them with a lodestone.
[edit]Navigation prior to the compass
See also: Polynesian navigation
Prior to the introduction of the compass, position, destination, and direction at sea were primarily determined by the sighting of landmarks, supplemented with the observation of the position of celestial bodies. On cloudy days, the Vikings may have used cordierite or some other birefringent crystal to determine the sun’s direction and elevation from the polarization of daylight; their astronomical knowledge was sufficient to let them use this information to determine their proper heading.[19] For more southerly Europeans unacquainted with this technique, the invention of the compass enabled the determination of heading when the sky was overcast or foggy. This enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, increasing sea trade, and contributing to the Age of Discovery.
[edit]Geomancy and feng shui
Magnetism was originally used, not for navigation, but for geomancy and fortune-telling by the Chinese. The earliest Chinese magnetic compasses were probably not designed for navigation, but rather to order and harmonize their environments and buildings in accordance with the geomantic principles of feng shui. These early compasses were made using lodestone, a special form of the mineral magnetite that aligns itself with the Earth’s magnetic field.[20]
Based on Krotser and Coe’s discovery of an Olmec hematite artifact in Mesoamerica, radiocarbon dated to 1400-1000 BC, astronomer John Carlson has hypothesized that the Olmec might have used the geomagnetic lodestone earlier than 1000 BC for geomancy, a method of divination, which if proven true, predates the Chinese use of magnetism for feng shui by a millennium.[21] Carlson speculates that the Olmecs used similar artifacts as a directional device for astronomical or geomantic purposes but does not suggest navigational usage. The artifact is part of a polished hematite (lodestone) bar with a groove at one end (possibly for sighting). The artifact now consistently points 35.5 degrees west of north, but may have pointed north-south when whole. Carlson’s claims have been disputed by other scientific researchers, who have suggested that the artifact is actually a constituent piece of a decorative ornament and not a purposely built compass.[7][22] Several other hematite or magnetite artifacts have been found at pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Mexico and Guatemala.[23][24]
[edit]Navigational compass
The invention of the navigational compass is credited by scholars to the Chinese, who began using it for navigation sometime between the 9th and 11th century, “some time before 1050, possibly as early as 850.”[25] A common theory by historians,[25][26] suggests that the Arabs introduced the compass from China to Europe, although current textual evidence only supports the fact that Chinese use of the navigational compass preceded that of Europe and the Middle East.[4]
Overall, compasses rock!
I don’t like typing so much.
Cramps my hand.
Hi Mariah!
kamiyaiya! >:o
>’.’)>
Devil's advocate
My parents always scolded me for doing the wrong thing, following the wrong crowd. I enjoyed it. My teachers looked down on me because I wasn’t using my full potential in class. I had heard of an old saying about people having to follow a moral compass that directed the path between right and wrong. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that my moral compass was broken. I had no concept of right and wrong. I understood them but in society I had no way to pick one from the other, everything was the same to me. Instead of being black and white the world maintained a constant grey. I walked the line so much that
I was used to the muddled ideals of both right and wrong mixing, and coexisting in my head.
Jess
Well, this i s my first time doing this and my word is compass. When I saw it I thought of the movie Golden Compass but I haven’t really seen it. Then I remembered a riddle I did earlier and the answer was compass. If my memory weren’t horrible I’d type it in…
Thea
rounds points north made of gold or silver, is a way to travel the world, stops us from getting lost, can be magical, but is always magnetic, shiny, and tiny. can help us find treasure, is often used by pirates. north south east west. steampunk accesory. always points north unless its broken. overidden by built in gps i think. compasses are so yesterday
toni
I scream supreme, following the beat of my own drum, tracking down the fears in my own heart ignoring the point of it all, knowing the base of these desires, and tracing the the dotted line, forever forward if not always north.
Megan Haverman
I scream supreme, following the beat of my own drum tracking down the fears in my own heart ignoring the point of it all, knowing the base of these desires and tracing the the dotted line, forever forward if not always north.
Megan Haverman
She ran across the field looking for a way out. He was getting closer and closer by the minute. She used her compass as a way to escape this madness before there was no way out.
It helped explorers. It was a Chinese invention. The West took it over like everything else. I think it’s a type of car. It uses a magnetic force. I have no idea how it tells north because to me it seems as though north is whatever in front of me. Unless I’m right next to the ocean, then I know north.
kelli
Compasses are great for giving directions. North, South, East, West.
Courtney
I wish I had a compass to direct my life in the right direction, and one that would lead me to a love that I dream of having one day.
The way to go, or is it? A compass has always been the thing you wished I had when I need it. Or something I posses when I have no need to know what direction I am going.
They had been walking for what seemed like hours. the track they needed to get back, was nowhere to be found. The cuts and bruises on their legs attested to this. And where was the compass? Back in the car, in it’s holder, in the glove box…
always points in the same direction
groundwork
foundation
compass
follow
direction
location
north
east
south
west
adventure
place
destination
pirate
So small.
I am so small.
I have been lost for far too long.
But now, I’ve realized
He is my compass
my way in life
I forge my way, only to find my way to Him.
I follow the compass.
You are my north
You save me, today.
Things a compass will tell you:
The direction of the strongest magnetic field.
Things a compass won’t tell you:
Where you are.
Where do you need to be.
Which way is actually North.
What time it is.
If she loves you.
If you’re going to die before finding out.
compasses are much more reliable when they are internal—but maybe not. maybe it is most feasble to really on that external man-made- human perffected compass cause those have the luxury of dual manipulation. more trusted in my opinioln.
North.
South.
East.
West.
It’s all the same to me, no wonder I get lost so easily.
Bearings, direction, and purpose everything you think about when referring to your universal compass. We always need to know where we are going in life and imagine our destination until we get there. As long as our drive is sincere our compass will always be pointed in the correct direction.
I love when you hear great music and, suddenly, your body stops listening to your brain and starts dancing to the compass of music. It’s really, really, great.
A compass is for getting where you’re going, but it won’t do me any good because I don’t know which way is North anymore. I wish I could follow the stars, but the lights are too bright.
When you think about it for a second, compasses will always point you in the wrong direction. The one way to all they will fail. Compass. Right?
a compass is a tool that you use to direct your way while traveling or figuring out directions. you can have a literal compass or a figurative compass, either will point you in the direction you are searching for. whether in your personal life and dreams and aspirations, or which road to take when at an intersection. a compass can point the way.
I twisted it around in my hand, making overlapping circle upon overlapping circle. Once or twice I pricked myself on the compass’ sharp needle. By the time I was done there were holes in the paper.
A direction. No one needs to tell you where to go. Not even your own moral compass. Think. Live. Live your life with out a compass. Go for it.
She walked into the forest. It was dark and mossy and smelt of damp earth. She heard the distant echo of a bird’s twitter as it moved through the upper branches. She knew that she would have to walk for a long distance and she just hoped that it was in the right direction.
The compass is used to guide oneself in a certain direction. The word calls to mind Columbus, Magellan, and other such renowned sailors. There’s also the moral compass, otherwise known as the conscience. Sometimes I worry that I don’t really have one of those. I fit the technical definition of a sociopath.
She looked down at the compass and began to panic. “This can’t be right,” she thought. She spun in circles. No matter what direction the trinket pointed, the only direction she wanted to run was back into his arms.
North: A tall, ghostly fellow. He is skinny and frail.
South: A big, burly woman, dressed in drag.
West: A small little girl, with cold hands and a warm heart.
East: A tiny little boy, making leaps over puddles in the street.
I’d like a compass that directed me to your heart. That could transport me to you anytime I feel lonely. Anxious. Tired. Longing to run my fingers through your velvet hair and kiss your supple lips. Stare into those eyes like ferns in the forest. Touch that slow gentle heartbeat in time with mine. That compass could then take us anywhere in the world and we could hide away. Just for awhile. To enjoy us. To breath us. To live us. I wonder where I could get this compass. Do you know?
The compass had broke. I was lost and alone in a vast forest. A forest of green and purple hues. Of beautiful animals and smells. Surely this was a forest I wouldn’t mind getting lost in.
She was my compass. She always told me right from wrong. She even told me left from right, when it came down to it. I was never very good at making my own decisions. If I were a compass, my needle would wave back and forth, and spin wildly after a couple of drinks. Her needle was steady. Strong. Decided. I needed her.
to the moon I go-
with a compass?
What good will that do?
Does it work up there?
We shall see.
There was once a golden compass. Furious in nature, its greed glittered across the lands – calling all who ventured near.
However, not every adventurer was destined to find this compass. No; one one would be chosen by it. And this one… would be the one to change the world, discover new lands, and make its dream come true.
I saw the compass i held it in my hand. it was cold. i didn’t what to do with it. it had been passed down to me from my father and he had it in his family for a long time. I needed to get it fixed. I had to find my way back to town. I needed to get supplies.
He is my compass, my road back home.
He is everything I’ve come to adore.
He is my way to a better life, one
Drowned in him and
One I will always cherish.
He is the road to my dreams and my hope.
And to a happy, long life.
Gabe had gotten lost one too many times in the years she’d been wandering the wilderness and she just couldn’t resist the shiny compass h sitting in the window of a nearby shop.
I can’t let you be my compass.
It’s past time I make my own decisions
And find my own direction.
I’m holding on to the window, afraid that I won’t know you anymore if I can’t see the world, living, breathing, BEING, outside of it. Because all I have is a map of everything, a place you told me you were at, a vague destination I will never reach; all I have is the idea that you are still alive in a world where I never knew you.
His shoe catches on the edge of the filthy carpet, flinging him in the air, along with the candlestick in his hand onto the desert sand. He sits up, spits and readjusts his eyes to a perfectly moonlit night, with the stars twinkling so brightly as if competing for his attention. He reaches for the compass in his left breast pocket and realized that he left it in the tent, giving him no choice but to use the eager stars as his guide for his long trek home.
A compass is a navigational instrument that measures directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions (or points) – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined. Usually, a diagram called a compass rose, which shows the directions (with their names usually abbreviated to initials), is marked on the compass. When the compass is in use, the rose is aligned with the real directions in the frame of reference, so, for example, the “N” mark on the rose really points to the north. Frequently, in addition to the rose or sometimes instead of it, angle markings in degrees are shown on the compass. North corresponds to zero degrees, and the angles increase clockwise, so east is 90 degrees, south is 180, and west is 270. These numbers allow the compass to show azimuths or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation.
There are two widely used and radically different types of compass. The magnetic compass contains a magnet that interacts with the earth’s magnetic field and aligns itself to point to the magnetic poles. The gyrocompass (sometimes spelled with a hyphen, or as two words) contains a rapidly spinning wheel whose rotation interacts dynamically with the rotation of the earth so as to make the wheel precess, losing energy to friction until its axis of rotation is parallel with the earth’s.
The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty.[1][2][3] The compass was used in Song Dynasty China by the military for navigational orienteering by 1040-1044,[4][5][6] and was used for maritime navigation by 1117.[7] The use of a compass is recorded in Western Europe between 1187 and 1202,[8][9][10] and in Persia in 1232.[11] The dry compass was invented in Europe around 1300.[12] This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.
There are two widely used and radically different types of compass. The magnetic compass contains a magnet that interacts with the earth’s magnetic field and aligns itself to point to the magnetic poles.[14] Simple compasses of this type show directions in a frame of reference in which the directions of the magnetic poles are due north and south. These directions are called magnetic north and magnetic south. The gyro compass (sometimes spelled with a hyphen, or as one word) contains a rapidly spinning wheel whose rotation interacts dynamically with the rotation of the earth so as to make the wheel precess, losing energy to friction until its axis of rotation is parallel with the earth’s. The wheel’s axis therefore points to the earth’s rotational poles, and a frame of reference is used in which the directions of the rotational poles are due north and south. These directions are called true north and true south, respectively. The astrocompass works by observing the direction of stars and other celestial bodies.
There are other devices which are not conventionally called compasses but which do allow the true cardinal directions to be determined. Some GPS receivers have two or three antennas, fixed some distance apart to the structure of a vehicle, usually an aircraft or ship. The exact latitudes and longitudes of the antennas can be determined simultaneously, which allows the directions of the cardinal points to be calculated relative to the heading of the aircraft (the direction in which its nose is pointing), rather than to its direction of movement, which will be different if there is a crosswind. They are said to work “like a compass”, or “as a compass”.
Even a simple GPS device or similar can be used as compass, since if the receiver is being moved, even at walking pace, it can follow the change of its position, and hence determine the compass bearing of its direction of movement, and thence the directions of the cardinal points relative to its direction of movement. A much older example was the Chinese south-pointing chariot, which worked like a compass by directional dead reckoning. It was initialized by hand, possibly using astronomical observations e.g. of the Pole Star, and thenceforth counteracted every turn that was made to keep its pointer aiming in the desired direction, usually to the south. Watches and sundials can also be used to find compass directions. See their articles for details.
A recent development is the electronic compass which detects the direction without potentially fallible moving parts. This may use a fibre optic gyrocompass or a magnetometer. The magnetometer frequently appears as an optional subsystem built into hand-held GPS receivers and mobile phones. However, magnetic compasses remain popular, especially in remote areas, as they are relatively inexpensive, durable, and require no power supply.[15]
[edit]Magnetic compass
The magnetic compass consists of a magnetized pointer (usually marked on the North end) free to align itself with Earth’s magnetic field. A compass is any magnetically sensitive device capable of indicating the direction of the magnetic north of a planet’s magnetosphere. The face of the compass generally highlights the cardinal points of north, south, east and west. Often, compasses are built as a stand alone sealed instrument with a magnetized bar or needle turning freely upon a pivot, or moving in a fluid, thus able to point in a northerly and southerly direction.
The compass greatly improved the safety and efficiency of travel, especially ocean travel. A compass can be used to calculate heading, used with a sextant to calculate latitude, and with a marine chronometer to calculate longitude. It thus provides a much improved navigational capability that has only been recently supplanted by modern devices such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The compass was invented during the Chinese Han Dynasty between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD.[1] The dry compass was invented in medieval Europe around 1300.[12] This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.[13]
[edit]How a magnetic compass works
A compass functions as a pointer to “magnetic north” because the magnetized needle at its heart aligns itself with the lines of the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field exerts a torque on the needle, pulling one end or pole of the needle toward the Earth’s North magnetic pole, and the other toward the South magnetic pole. The needle is mounted on a low-friction pivot point, in better compasses a jewel bearing, so it can turn easily. When the compass is held level, the needle turns until, after a few seconds to allow oscillations to die out, one end points toward the North magnetic pole.
A magnet or compass needle’s “north” pole is defined as the one which is attracted to the North magnetic pole of the Earth, in northern Canada. Since opposite poles attract (“north” to “south”) the North magnetic pole of the Earth is actually the south pole of the Earth’s magnetic field.[16][17][18] The compass needle’s north pole is always marked in some way: with a distinctive color, luminous paint, or an arrowhead.
Instead of a needle, professional compasses usually have bar magnets glued to the underside of a disk pivoted in the center so it can turn, called a “compass card”, with the cardinal points and degrees marked on it. Better compasses are “liquid-filled”; the chamber containing the needle or disk is filled with a liquid whose purpose is to damp the oscillations of the needle so it will settle down to point to North more quickly, and also to protect the needle or disk from shock.
In navigation, directions on maps are expressed with reference to geographical or true north, the direction toward the Geographical North Pole, the rotation axis of the Earth. Since the Earth’s magnetic poles are near, but are not at the same locations as its geographic poles, a compass does not point to true north. The direction a compass points is called magnetic north, the direction of the North magnetic pole, located in northeastern Canada. Depending on where the compass is located on the surface of the Earth the angle between true north and magnetic north, called magnetic declination can vary widely, increasing the farther one is from the prime meridian of the Earth’s magnetic field. The local magnetic declination is given on most maps, to allow the map to be oriented with a compass parallel to true north.
In geographic regions near the magnetic poles, in northeastern Canada and Antarctica, variations in the Earth’s magnetic field cause magnetic compasses to have such large errors that they are useless, so other instruments must be used for navigation.
The positions of the magnetic poles change over time on a time-scale that is not extremely long by human standards. Significant movements happen in a few years. (Over millions of years, the directions of the true poles also shift, because of continental drift.) For an observer at any point on the earth’s surface, there is an angle, called the magnetic declination (or magnetic variation), between the directions of magnetic north and true north. The magnetic declination is different at different points on the earth, and changes with time. Close to the equator, the magnetic declination is no more than a few degrees, but in arctic and Antarctic latitudes it can be much greater. Some magnetic compasses include means to compensate for the magnetic declination, so that the compass shows true directions, relative to the earth’s rotational poles. The user of such a compass has to know the local value of the magnetic declination, and adjust the compass accordingly.
[edit]History
The first compasses were made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized ore of iron.[3] Ancient Chinese people found that if a lodestone was suspended so it could turn freely, it would always point in the same direction, toward the magnetic poles. Early compasses were used for geomancy “in the search for gems and the selection of sites for houses,” but were later adapted for navigation during the Song Dynasty in the 11th century.[3] Later compasses were made of iron needles, magnetized by striking them with a lodestone.
[edit]Navigation prior to the compass
See also: Polynesian navigation
Prior to the introduction of the compass, position, destination, and direction at sea were primarily determined by the sighting of landmarks, supplemented with the observation of the position of celestial bodies. On cloudy days, the Vikings may have used cordierite or some other birefringent crystal to determine the sun’s direction and elevation from the polarization of daylight; their astronomical knowledge was sufficient to let them use this information to determine their proper heading.[19] For more southerly Europeans unacquainted with this technique, the invention of the compass enabled the determination of heading when the sky was overcast or foggy. This enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, increasing sea trade, and contributing to the Age of Discovery.
[edit]Geomancy and feng shui
Magnetism was originally used, not for navigation, but for geomancy and fortune-telling by the Chinese. The earliest Chinese magnetic compasses were probably not designed for navigation, but rather to order and harmonize their environments and buildings in accordance with the geomantic principles of feng shui. These early compasses were made using lodestone, a special form of the mineral magnetite that aligns itself with the Earth’s magnetic field.[20]
Based on Krotser and Coe’s discovery of an Olmec hematite artifact in Mesoamerica, radiocarbon dated to 1400-1000 BC, astronomer John Carlson has hypothesized that the Olmec might have used the geomagnetic lodestone earlier than 1000 BC for geomancy, a method of divination, which if proven true, predates the Chinese use of magnetism for feng shui by a millennium.[21] Carlson speculates that the Olmecs used similar artifacts as a directional device for astronomical or geomantic purposes but does not suggest navigational usage. The artifact is part of a polished hematite (lodestone) bar with a groove at one end (possibly for sighting). The artifact now consistently points 35.5 degrees west of north, but may have pointed north-south when whole. Carlson’s claims have been disputed by other scientific researchers, who have suggested that the artifact is actually a constituent piece of a decorative ornament and not a purposely built compass.[7][22] Several other hematite or magnetite artifacts have been found at pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Mexico and Guatemala.[23][24]
[edit]Navigational compass
The invention of the navigational compass is credited by scholars to the Chinese, who began using it for navigation sometime between the 9th and 11th century, “some time before 1050, possibly as early as 850.”[25] A common theory by historians,[25][26] suggests that the Arabs introduced the compass from China to Europe, although current textual evidence only supports the fact that Chinese use of the navigational compass preceded that of Europe and the Middle East.[4]
Overall, compasses rock!
I don’t like typing so much.
Cramps my hand.
Hi Mariah!
kamiyaiya! >:o
>’.’)>
My parents always scolded me for doing the wrong thing, following the wrong crowd. I enjoyed it. My teachers looked down on me because I wasn’t using my full potential in class. I had heard of an old saying about people having to follow a moral compass that directed the path between right and wrong. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that my moral compass was broken. I had no concept of right and wrong. I understood them but in society I had no way to pick one from the other, everything was the same to me. Instead of being black and white the world maintained a constant grey. I walked the line so much that
I was used to the muddled ideals of both right and wrong mixing, and coexisting in my head.
Well, this i s my first time doing this and my word is compass. When I saw it I thought of the movie Golden Compass but I haven’t really seen it. Then I remembered a riddle I did earlier and the answer was compass. If my memory weren’t horrible I’d type it in…
rounds points north made of gold or silver, is a way to travel the world, stops us from getting lost, can be magical, but is always magnetic, shiny, and tiny. can help us find treasure, is often used by pirates. north south east west. steampunk accesory. always points north unless its broken. overidden by built in gps i think. compasses are so yesterday
I scream supreme, following the beat of my own drum, tracking down the fears in my own heart ignoring the point of it all, knowing the base of these desires, and tracing the the dotted line, forever forward if not always north.
I scream supreme, following the beat of my own drum tracking down the fears in my own heart ignoring the point of it all, knowing the base of these desires and tracing the the dotted line, forever forward if not always north.
She ran across the field looking for a way out. He was getting closer and closer by the minute. She used her compass as a way to escape this madness before there was no way out.
It helped explorers. It was a Chinese invention. The West took it over like everything else. I think it’s a type of car. It uses a magnetic force. I have no idea how it tells north because to me it seems as though north is whatever in front of me. Unless I’m right next to the ocean, then I know north.
Compasses are great for giving directions. North, South, East, West.
I wish I had a compass to direct my life in the right direction, and one that would lead me to a love that I dream of having one day.