Other adaptations have been made to magnetic compasses over time, especially for their use in marine navigation. When ships evolved from being made of wood to being made of iron and steel, the magnetism of the ship affected compass readings. This difference is called deviation. Adjustments such as placing soft iron balls (called Kelvin spheres) and bar magnets (called Flinders bars) near the compass helped increase the accuracy of the readings. Deviation must also be taken into account on aircraft using compasses, due to the metal in the construction of an airplane. 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.

True North or Map North refers to the point at which all longitudinal lines meet on the map, at the North Pole. All maps are laid out the same, with True North at the top of the map. Unfortunately, because of slight variations in the magnetic field, your compass won't point to True North, it'll point to Magnetic North. The difference between the magnetic and true norths is called ‘Variation’, by pilots or mariners, or ‘magnetic declination’ by land navigators.Case with hinged lid containing 1 precision compass with lead part, extension bar, universal adapter and spares box 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.

The needle point is located on the steady leg, and serves as the center point of the circle that is about to be drawn. Nowadays, the GPS (Global Positioning System), which first began in the United States in 1973, is taking over from the traditional compass. GPS uses co-ordinates sent via satellites that are in orbit around the Earth. These signals are very accurate and reliable. Though many planes and ships still use advanced compasses for navigation.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 rose is a figure that is found on maps, compasses and nautical charts. It’s also known as a 'windrose' or 'Rose of the Winds'.The degree dial is the twistable dial surrounding the compass housing that displays all 360 degrees of the circle. 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. 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 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

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 A compass is a device that indicates direction. It is one of the most important instruments for navigation. 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.Magnetic compasses are the most well known type of compass. They have become so popular that the term “compass” almost always refers a magnetic compass. While the design and construction of this type of compass has changed significantly over the centuries, the concept of how it works has remained the same. Magnetic compasses consist of a magnetized needle that is allowed to rotate so it lines up with Earth's magnetic field. The ends point to what are known as magnetic north and magnetic south. 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.