The compass is one of the oldest navigation tools in history. Ever since mankind has gained a greater understanding of navigation and orientation, these tools have been one of the most important navigation tools in important journeys such as the first transoceanic journeys and traveling around the world. None of these journeys would be possible without the aid of a compass in making navigational calculations over long distances. Early explorers had to use local landmarks and stars to navigate, which made traveling to distant or unknown destinations very difficult. The compass was one of the major breakthroughs that made such journeys a reality. In this article, we talk about how the compass works.
The online compass works by detecting the Earth's natural magnetic fields. As you know, the earth has an iron core, which is partly liquid and partly solid crystal due to gravitational pressure. Motion in the liquid outer core is believed to be what generates the Earth's magnetic field. Like all magnetic fields, the Earth's magnetic field has two main poles, a north pole and a south pole.
These magnetic poles are slightly off the Earth's axis of rotation, which are used as geographic poles, but are still close enough to these poles that general directions can be calculated by calculating the angle difference, which is used as a declination angle for navigation. gave
The first compasses were blue compasses invented by the Chinese during the Song Dynasty. These compasses were a piece of magnetized metal that floated in a bowl of water. The water axis provided the frictionless rotation needed to make the compass.
The compass later came into common use in the West in the 14th century. This led to what is now the Age of Discovery, where major European powers began to explore more of the world, including North and South America. While the compass was only one of the devices that ushered in this golden age of exploration, it played an important role in making it happen. Even now, modern navigation still relies on the compass and the accurate maps that come with it.