Ads
related to: what is magnetic compass explain
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
A modern military compass, with included sight device for aligning. A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with magnetic north.
Magnetic dip causes the compass to dip upward or downward depending on the latitude. Illustration of magnetic dip from Norman's book, The Newe Attractive. Magnetic dip, dip angle, or magnetic inclination is the angle made with the horizontal by Earth's magnetic field lines. This angle varies at different points on Earth's surface.
A hand compass (also hand bearing compass or sighting compass) is a compact magnetic compass capable of one-hand use and fitted with a sighting device to record a precise bearing or azimuth to a given target or to determine a location.
A magnetic compass points to magnetic north, not geographic (true) north. Compasses of the style commonly used for hiking (i.e., baseplate or protractor compass) utilize a dial or bezel which rotates 360 degrees and is independent of the magnetic needle.
A compass is one such device, one that measures the direction of an ambient magnetic field, in this case, the Earth's magnetic field. Other magnetometers measure the magnetic dipole moment of a magnetic material such as a ferromagnet , for example by recording the effect of this magnetic dipole on the induced current in a coil.
3 - Magnetic north, which differs from true north by the magnetic variation. 4 - Compass north, including a two-part error; the magnetic variation (6) and the ship's own magnetic field (5) 5 - Magnetic deviation, caused by vessel's magnetic field. 6 - Magnetic variation, caused by variations in Earth's magnetic field.
Compass needles in the Northern Hemisphere point toward the magnetic North Pole, although the exact location of it changes from time to time as the contours of Earth’s magnetic field also change.
Direction determination refers to the ways in which a cardinal direction or compass point can be determined in navigation and wayfinding.The most direct method is using a compass (magnetic compass or gyrocompass), but indirect methods exist, based on the Sun path (unaided or by using a watch or sundial), the stars, and satellite navigation.