A compass is a navigation instrument that shows direction using a magnetized needle that aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field, pointing toward magnetic north. The device originated in China during the Han dynasty as a divination tool and was adapted for maritime navigation by the Song dynasty in the eleventh century, later reaching Western Europe by around 1190 and the Islamic world in the thirteenth century. Counted among the Four Great Inventions of ancient China, the compass made long distance sea voyages far safer and remains a basic tool of navigation today.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateNo legal patent applies; recorded as the earliest documented navigational use, Shen Kuo's 1088 account, since this property tracks first use as well as patent grant. Year1088 is Shen Kuo's account of the first needle compasses used for navigation, in Song dynasty China. Magnetized lodestone devices for divination are attested centuries earlier but were not used for wayfinding. SignificanceCounted among China's Four Great Inventions, the magnetic compass gave sailors and travelers a reliable way to hold a course out of sight of land, reshaping medieval and early modern navigation, exploration and trade. 1 FAQs
Does a compass point to true north?
No. It points to magnetic north, which differs from true north by an amount called declination.
Not exactly. A magnetic compass needle points to magnetic north, and the difference between magnetic north and true north is called declination. The difference exists because the Earth's magnetic field does not align exactly with its north and south poles, and the amount of declination varies from place to place on the Earth's surface.
Connections
In Field
Source Compass (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Compass (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory, Navigational compass subsection
The first compasses used for navigation appeared in China by 1088 during the Song dynasty, as described by Shen Kuo.
Lead section, third paragraph
Among the Four Great Inventions, the magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han dynasty (since c. 206 BC), and later adopted for navigation by the Song dynasty Chinese during the 11th century.
In Field: Marine Engineering, Introduction
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation.
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