The main use for compasses were out at sea, as there are no landmarks to help with navigation. Sailors used to use the stars, in particular Polaris, the North star, to help find their way. Though sometimes the sky could be cloudy or stormy, and they wouldn’t be able to tell which way they were heading. This is why compasses are particularly important at sea. Our STAEDTLER compasses are also available in a plastic case with a hinged lid. Depending on the model, this includes a lead box with four HB leads as well as practical accessories for school and professional use: In the 12th century, as early scientists discovered more about magnetism, the compass needle was placed on a pin, and in the 13th century added in the compass cards. At first this compass card showed only the main four cardinal directions, but over time this design evolved to show 32 directional points. Who could forget the compass that’s used in mathematics? A handy tool that helps to aid with drawing circles and other geometric shapes as well as finding mid-points to help solve problems. Not related to Earth’s magnetic field but still a compass worth mentioning. The magnetic and geographic poles are different. The Earth’s Magnetic North Pole doesn’t actually align with the geographic North Pole, also known as True North.

True North always sits at the top of the Earth. Magnetic North is not a fixed point and changes over time in response to the changes in the Earth’s core. It’s thought that it is situated around 1000 miles away in Canada. The Magnetic North is said to have moved around 600 miles over time as the magnetic field has warped. Magnetic compasses come in many forms. The most basic are portable compasses for use on casual hikes. Magnetic compasses can have additional features, such as magnifiers for use with maps, a prism or a mirror that allows you to see the landscape as you follow the compass reading, or markings in Braille for the visually impaired. The most complicated compasses are complex devices on ships or planes that can calculate and adjust for motion, variation, and deviation. Learn to correct for declination. Declination refers to the amount by which North on your map and North on your compass differ at any given point, given the Earth's magnetic field. To make using the compass much easier, you can correct for declination by either adding or subtracting the declination amount from your bearing in degrees, depending on whether you're taking a bearing from a map or from your compass, and whether or not you're in an area with East declination or West declination. [4] X Research source These greatly helped early sailors during their sea voyages to see where they were going. You can also find compasses with roses that have 16 or even 32 points. These include directions such as North-northwest, east-northeast, south-southwest.

Case with hinged lid containing 1 compass, 1 sharpener 510 50, 1 eraser, 1 small pencil, 2 set squares, 1 ruler 15 cm and 1 protractor As engineers and scientists learned more about magnetism, the compass needle was mounted and placed in the middle of a card that showed the cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west. A spearhead and the letter T, which stood for the Latin name of the North Wind, Tramontana, signified north. This combination evolved into a fleur-de-lis design, which can still be seen today. All 32 points of direction were eventually added to the compass card. The degree dial is the twistable dial surrounding the compass housing that displays all 360 degrees of the circle. Scientists and historians don’t know when the principles behind magnetic compasses were discovered. Ancient Greeks understood magnetism. As early as 2,000 years ago, Chinese scientists may have known that rubbing an iron bar (such as a needle) with a naturally occurring magnet, called a lodestone, would temporarily magnetize the needle so that it would point north and south.

Compasses today can be found in many modern appliances as well as being their own thing. You can find them in smartphones and in handy tools for DIY and crafting. The History of the Compass The Fleur-de-lis is often used to mark North on a compass. It is believed to have evolved from the original mark which was a spearhead above the letter T, which stood for the Latin name for the North wind ‘Tramontana’. During the 12th century, Europeans created the compass rose. It enabled the creation of the eight principal winds, which includes the four cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) plus the new intercardinal directions; North-East, South-East, South-West, North-West. Some compasses do not use Earth’s magnetism to indicate direction. The gyrocompass, invented in the early 20th century, uses a spinning gyroscope to follow Earth’s axis of rotation to point to true north. Since magnetic north is not measured, variation is not an issue. Once the gyroscope begins spinning, motion will not disturb it. This type of compass is often used on ships and aircraft. The screw through the hinge holds the two legs in position. The hinge can be adjusted, depending on desired stiffness; the tighter the hinge-screw, the more accurate the compass's performance. The better quality compass, made of plated metal, is able to be finely adjusted via a small, serrated wheel usually set between the legs (see the "using a compass" animation shown above) and it has a (dangerously powerful) spring encompassing the hinge. This sort of compass is often known as a "pair of Spring-Bow Compasses".Historians think China may have been the first civilization to develop a magnetic compass that could be used for navigation. Chinese scientists may have developed navigational compasses as early as the 11th or 12th century. Western Europeans soon followed at the end of the 12th century. There is a type of compass which does always point to the True North as it uses the Earth’s rotation, rather than its magnetic field. This is known as a gyroscope, and it was invented in 1906 by Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe, and is usually used by large ships and aircraft. It follows the Earth’s axis or rotation to find True North.

Distances can be measured on a map using compasses with two spikes, also called a dividing compass (or just "dividers"). The hinge is set in such a way that the distance between the spikes on the map represents a certain distance in reality, and by measuring how many times the compasses fit between two points on the map the distance between those points can be calculated. The difference between the magnetic and true norths is called ‘Variation’, by pilots or mariners, or ‘magnetic declination’ by land navigators. The needle point is located on the steady leg, and serves as the center point of the circle that is about to be drawn.The biggest errors by beginners here are firstly moving the bezel - it's set and should not be changed at this point. Secondly, not holding the compass pointing directly away from the body. Also, be aware of any magnets or metal near the compass: mobile phones, magnetic buttons, metal belts and similar can 'deflect' the compass needle, making it inaccurate. Top tips for beginners Compasses are drawing instruments that are primarily used to perform the following tasks in geometry: Maps were able to be created thanks to the compass. It even helped establish the fact that the Earth is a globe and not flat.

A compass is a device that indicates direction. It is one of the most important instruments for navigation. Understand the basic layout of the compass. While the designs of compasses are different, all compasses include a magnetized needle that orients itself to the magnetic fields in the Earth. The basic field compass, also sometimes called a baseplate compass, features the following simple components you should familiarize yourself with as soon as possible: [1] X Research source Unless you always want to walk due north – follow the direction of travel arrow rather than the compass needle. The compass needle stays above the orienting arrow in or very close to the compass housing. The needle in a compass is made of magnetised metal, usually iron, placed on a pivot or pin, and suspended in liquid (usually some kind of mineral oil or white spirit) so it can freely turn. The compass' needle can detect the magnetic field of the Earth and faces the Magnetic North, when held level in your hand. The person using the device can then work out all the other directions.A solar compass uses the sun as a navigational tool. The most common method is to use a compass card and the angle of the shadow of the sun to indicate direction.