The adjustment varies across the country and you can generally find it printed on your map in the key. Look for 'magnetic north'. Ignore any references to 'true north' as we don't need them. At the moment GB magnetic variations are between -1° and 4°. The earliest compass use recorded comes from the Chinese Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, around 200 BC. They discovered that some metal from the ground was naturally magnetic and so were able to use these metals, known as lodestone, or magnetite, to magnetise iron needles in the first types of compass. Focus on points in the distance. To accurately follow the direction of travel arrow, look down at the arrow, then focus on a distant object like a tree, telephone pole, or other landmark, and use this as a guide. Don’t focus on anything too distant, like a mountain, as huge objects aren’t precise enough to navigate by accurately. Once you reach each guide point, use your compass to find another. [7] X Research source Historians think China may have been the first civilization to develop a magnetic compass that could be used for navigation. Chinese scientists may have developed navigational compasses as early as the 11th or 12th century. Western Europeans soon followed at the end of the 12th century.

Hold the compass flat and near your body, with the big 'direction of travel' arrow pointing straight ahead. Turn yourself and the compass around slowly until the red end of the needle lines up with the orienting arrow, as in the picture.As engineers and scientists learned more about magnetism, the compass needle was mounted and placed in the middle of a card that showed the cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west. A spearhead and the letter T, which stood for the Latin name of the North Wind, Tramontana, signified north. This combination evolved into a fleur-de-lis design, which can still be seen today. All 32 points of direction were eventually added to the compass card. Earth’s magnetic field protects us from charged particles thrown out from the Sun. As these particles come close to Earth, Earth’s magnetic field deflects them. Choose a needle "magnetizer." You can magnetize your needle using a variety of methods: tapping it with a piece of steel or iron, rubbing it with a magnet, or rubbing it on another item that magnetizes it with static electricity. [2] X Trustworthy Source US National Park Service Agency responsible for the maintenance and promotion of national parks and monuments Go to source

Learn to take a bearing from the map. To find out which direction you need to travel to get somewhere, place the map on a horizontal surface and place your compass on the map. Using the edge of the compass as a ruler, place it so that it creates a line between your current position and where you intend to go. Fine Woodworking, Build a Fireplace Mantel, Mario Rodriquez, pgs. 73, 75, The Taunton Press, No. 184, June 2006 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. The Classroom-Themed Compass Directions Worksheets is a fab and fun worksheet that will help children get to grips with compass directions.

Compasses are drawing instruments that are primarily used to perform the following tasks in geometry: