The navigator chart shows that he must sail northeast. His problem is to know the direction of the Northeast. He found this by using a magnetic compass.
800 years ago, the sailors used a compass to show them the direction of the north. They found that if a thin piece of magnetized iron is free to swing, it will always point north-south. They called such a piece of iron a magnetic needle.
The first sailor or sailor's compass was made by attaching a magnetic needle to a straw. Then float the straw in a bowl of water. After that, fix the needle on the round card so that it can swing freely on the card. The card is marked with all points of the compass. After that, the compass card is placed in a bowl filled with liquid. The liquid absorbs the vibration of the tossing ship and makes the needle move more stably.
The magnetic compass does not point to the north pole of the earth. Instead, it points to the magnetic North Pole, which is a slightly different place. However, the navigator can allow this and other conditions that pull the needle away from its correct position.
However, magnetic compasses cannot be used in modern steel ships. There are many metals on these ships that affect the direction in which the needle points. In most large modern ships, a different type of instrument called a gyrocompass is used.
A gyrocompass is actually a gyroscope that is mounted in a special way. Like all gyroscopes, the gyro compass has a heavy-duty wheel that rotates on the shaft. The electric motor drives the gyro compass. Regardless of how the boat moves, the axis of the gyro compass is automatically adjusted to point to the true north. Because it does not have a magnetic needle, the gyro compass works well on steel ships.
Orignal From: Compass - 800 years of history
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