Since ancient times, people have been looking for ways to navigate the terrain in order to correctly find the road and follow the intended path. Both then and now it is very important for workers of various professions and for ordinary people.
There were many ways. For example, during the day using the sun, and at night using the stars. There is a well-known and working method: the north from the side on which moss grows on trees. Also the cardinal points can be recognized by the wind, knowing its direction (trade winds always blow in the same direction, and monsoons - seasonally). But the most famous and popular way is a compass.
Who needs to know the cardinal points
Firstly, it is important for pilots and sailors not to go astray or to change the route correctly. The military, working in the field, also need a way of orienting themselves on the ground. Builders and architects in the construction and design of buildings also take into account how structures stand in relation to the cardinal points. Archaeologists, geologists and other scientists working in the open, are guided in their research around the world. And it’s not necessary to talk about various kinds of tourists. In general, knowledge of finding the cardinal points is very important in our life. And all these people use the compass.
Designation of cardinal points on a compass
Since ancient times, up to and including our time, compass signs were created to understand the direction of the arrow. The designation of the cardinal points on the compass is: N (North), S (South), E (East), W (West). In the Navy, this designation may be slightly different. These are the same N, S, E, W. Only they are pronounced differently, in German. This is due to the fact that at the peak of the development of world navigation, the advanced fleet was in Holland, whose official language belongs to the German group. The compass uses the same notation. The cardinal directions in Russian are C (north), S (south), B (east), W (west), respectively. In addition, for convenience and accuracy of designation on the compass, sometimes the intermediate sides of the world are noted. These are NE (northeast, further by analogy), NW, SE, SW. Rarely, but they use the following designations of the cardinal points on the compass: NNE (north-northeast), NNW, etc.
Compass structure
Compass is a very ancient device. It is believed that the Chinese first invented it. Later, Europeans began to use it. Despite several centuries sharing the first compass and its modern counterpart, the most famous type of compass practically did not undergo any changes in the structure and principle of operation.
The most famous and easy to use type of compass is Adrianov’s compass. In fact, its two main details are the body and arrow. There is also a brake that prevents the arrow from spinning freely, preventing various possible malfunctions while the compass is not in use. There is also a panel with divisions, on which the cardinal points and degrees between them are indicated. On such a compass, in the absence of problems, the arrow will always point to the north.
By the way, arrows can be of completely different types. The most common is an arrow in the form of an oblong rhombus, painted in blue and red. In this case, the north is where the blue side points. Also, the hands can be in the form of ordinary sentinels or curly.
Types of Compasses
- The most popular is magnetic. It is called so because the main principle of its work is the interconnection of the magnetic field of the compass needle with the magnetic field of the Earth, which makes the arrow always point to the north. But such a compass has cons. Although it is easy to use, it will not function correctly near power lines and other objects with a strong magnetic field. Adrianova’s compass - this is precisely the magnetic compass.
- A gyrocompass is a magnetic compass, but with one significant difference. The arrow in it will indicate the geographical north of the Earth, and not magnetic.
- An electronic compass is a compass that works only on the basis of satellite readings. That is, it receives signals from terrestrial satellites and uses them to determine the direction and its own location. Many phones use an electronic compass.
Device performance
Using a conventional magnetic compass, you should first find out if it works correctly. This is actually verified easily. You need to put the compass on a horizontal surface and wait for the arrow to stop completely. After that, bring something metallic to the compass, and when the arrow moves, remove this item. If the arrow returns to its original place, then everything is fine.
How to determine the cardinal points on a compass
Going into an unfamiliar area and taking with you a magnetic compass, you need to know some information about its use.
- Remove the compass from the brake so that the needle can rotate freely.
- Put on the most horizontal surface and wait until the arrow stops completely.
- The arrow will point exactly north.
- Align the end of the arrow pointing north with north on the scale.
- Now the designations of the cardinal points on the scale coincide with the actual position of the cardinal points.
Try not to be near the power line using a compass, and always put it on the brake after use.