My acquaintance with this simple and mysterious device took place in my distant wonderful childhood, when the whole family went to pick mushrooms. I was given a simple student's permit compass and provided instructions on terrain orientation. Having successfully gotten lost, I pulled out the navigation device, freed the treasured arrow - and went in the direction it indicated. Fortunately, the case ended well - they found me. Let's figure out together what this compass is, and also, with its help, take a short trip into the past.
What is a compass?
This is special a device with the ability to indicate the direction of the Earth's magnetic poles regardless of your location. Sailors, in order to emphasize their difference from land inhabitants, flaunt the pronunciation “kompAs”.
Structurally, compasses are:
- magnetic. The most common and easiest compass to make. Its action is based on one of the properties of a magnet - the device's arrow is always parallel to the planet's magnetic field lines(remember school experiments with iron filings?);
- electromagnetic. These compasses work like electric generators and, unlike the above, not influenced by other magnets. Such a device was first successfully tested in 1927 by Charles Lindbergh on his famous flight across the Atlantic Ocean;
- gyrocompasses. Founded based on the gyroscope principle, such devices are widely used in marine navigation. Possess important feature point to the geographic pole rather than the magnetic pole.
Invention of the compass
There are several theories regarding the appearance of the compass (for example, followers of the Samothracian mysteries back in the 3rd century BC knew about the properties of a magnet and used it in their rituals, and excavations of the camps of nomadic peoples of the Mediterranean indicate their familiarity with the “magic arrow”), but , nevertheless, holds the palm in this matter. The first magnetic compass saw the light during the reign of Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). Despite detailed description its device to the scientist Shen Ko, the real inventor of the ingenious device, alas, is unknown.
19.10.2015
In the history of science there is a term “4 great inventions”. It's about about innovations that were created in China and forever changed people's understanding of the world around them. Along with paper, the wheel and gunpowder, ancient Chinese scientists were the first to give humanity a compass. The compass became the invention without which geographical discoveries would never have been possible, transnational trade and many other processes that created our civilization would not have been able to exist.
The first written mention of a compass dates back to 1044. A Chinese book describes an amazing device with which a traveler could navigate in the desert. The compass was described in detail 40 years later by the Chinese Shen Ko. The author describes the design: a piece of metal was attached to a stick, which was immersed in water. Thus, it was achieved magnetic resonance, the part of the tree on which the iron was attached indicated the direction towards the north.
How the compass got to Europe is not known for certain. Apparently, the invention was brought with them by the Arabs, who by the 12th century finally conquered the territory of modern Spain. From there the compass goes first to the Italians and then to the British. By the way, it is worth noting that the modern name of the device etymologically refers precisely to the English compass, which means “circle”.
There is another point of view, according to which the compass in Europe was first invented by the Vikings in the 10th-11th centuries, during the campaigns to the west. Eager to discover sea routes to unknown countries, northern wars used a certain invention that made it possible to determine the direction of the cardinal points using water and the sun. It is not without reason that it is believed that Icelandic warriors were the first to reach the shores of America. It is difficult to imagine that they could travel such a long way, guided solely by the stars.
The first European scientist to improve the design of the compass was the Italian Flavio Gioia. He proposed attaching the arrow to a pin, which significantly reduced the error in indicating the direction, and also divided the circle into 16 points (later 32). Thus, the sea motion now had virtually no effect on the instrument readings, and ship captains were able to correctly describe and calculate the direction.
In the 20th century, with the development of engineering, geography and geodesy, new types of devices were created: electromagnetic compass, gyrocompass, compass and other devices. Thus, in 1927, an electric compass was first tested. The need for such a development arose in connection with the development of aviation. The first pilot to travel across the Atlantic Ocean with such a compass was the American Charles Lindbergh.
With the development of science came an understanding of some of the subtleties. Thus, the magnetic and real (geographic) poles of the earth do not coincide, which leads to errors in calculations. This is fraught, for example, with a deviation from the course of ships making a voyage. That is why at the end of the 19th century the so-called gyrocompass was developed. Today it is used on almost all sea vessels, differs more complex design and high accuracy.
The history of the creation of the compass is the history of human observation. If, one day, alone chinese sage would not have noticed the connection between the cardinal points, the stars and the reaction of metal, perhaps humanity to long years would be forced to slow down its development.
History of the compass [VIDEO]
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COMPASS. HISTORY OF ITS CREATION.
Compass is a device for determining horizontal directions on the ground. Compasses are divided into two main classes: magnetic Compass - a device for determining horizontal directions on the ground. Compasses are divided into two main classes: magnetic compasses of the pointer type, which are used by topographers and tourists, and non-magnetic ones, such as the gyrocompass and radio compass.
The compass is an amazing ancient invention. Presumably this mechanism was first created in Ancient China back in the 3rd century BC.
Later it was borrowed by the Arabs, through whom this device came to Europe. The word “compass” itself comes from the Old British “compass”, meaning circle.
In the 3rd century BC, in an ancient Chinese treatise, a philosopher named Hen Fei-tzu described the design of the device, sonan, which translates as “in charge of the south.”
It was a small magnetite spoon with a rather massive convex part, polished to a shine, and a thin small handle. The spoon was placed on a copper plate, also well polished, so that there was no friction. The handle should not touch the plate; it would remain hanging in the air.
The signs of the cardinal directions, which in Ancient China were associated with the signs of the zodiac, were applied to the plate.
The convex part of the spoon rotated easily on the plate. The stalk always pointed south. Scientists believe that the shape of the magnet's arrow - a spoon - was not chosen by chance; it symbolized the Big Dipper, or the "Heavenly Bucket", as the ancient Chinese called this constellation. This device did not work very well.
In the Arab world, the compass appeared in the 8th century, and in European countries- in the XII century.
In this form, the Chinese compass in the 12th century. borrowed by the Arabs.
The history of the creation of the compass continued in the 14th century. The Italian F. Gioia managed to improve this device. He placed a magnetic needle on a vertical pin. This improved the performance of the compass.
A cartushka (light circle) was attached to the arrow, divided into 16 points. Two centuries later, the division of the card was 32 points, and the box with the arrow began to be placed in a special gimbal. Thus, the ship's pitching ceased to affect the compass.
But the story of the creation of the compass does not end there. In 1908. A gyrocompass appeared, which became the main navigation device. It always points north.
Today, the exact direction of travel can be determined using satellite navigation, however, many ships are equipped with magnetic compasses. The compass played a role in the development of ideas about the magnetic field and its relationship with the electric field, which led to the formation of modern physics.
Later, new types of compass appeared. Electronic compass.
Electromagnetic compass.
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Already in ancient times, people learned to determine their position in space, focusing on the four sides of the horizon. It is known that the points of contact of the sun with the horizon during sunrise and sunset show the directions to the east and west, the south is determined by the position of the sun at its zenith, and the north is opposite to the south. The altars of the Trypillian culture of the 6th-3rd millennia BC were already oriented along these four directions. e. You can also determine the direction by the position of the stars; in addition, there are enough signs and pointers based on observations of nature. But how to navigate, for example, on a cloudy day at sea or in the desert, where there are no trees or anthills?
In this case, it is impossible to do without a compass, a device for orientation relative to the sides of the horizon, which indicates the direction of the geographic or magnetic meridian.
Compass "chariot pointing south."
All the many types of compasses can be divided into magnetic and non-magnetic. It is traditionally believed that magnetic compasses were first invented, the action of which is based on the mutual attraction or repulsion of two magnets. However, there is a Chinese legend about the “south-pointing chariot”, the first non-magnetic compass, invented much earlier.
According to this legend, Yellow Emperor Huang Di started a war with the tribe of Emperor Yan Di. During the fighting, the sorcerer Chi Yu released a thick fog so that Huang Di's people would get lost. But with the help of a south-pointing chariot, they found the right path and were ultimately victorious. According to legend, this happened around 2600 BC. e., but real historical information dates the invention of the device to the 3rd century. Its essence is that a figurine of a man was installed on the chariot, which pointed to the south regardless of the direction of movement. The complex gear mechanism of the chariot took into account the difference in the number of revolutions of its wheels when turning and turned the figure to face the south.
The simplest magnetic compass consists of a magnetized needle that rotates freely in a horizontal plane and is oriented along the magnetic meridian. Our planet is also a magnet. Opposite poles of magnets attract, like poles repel. When orienting with a modern compass, north is taken as the reference point, so it is traditionally believed that the compass needle points to north, although in fact this is not entirely true. The ends of the magnetic needle point to the Earth's magnetic poles, which do not coincide with the geographic ones, and even drift slowly. It is still conventionally believed that the North Magnetic Pole is located on Somerset Island, 2100 km from the geographic North Pole, although this was true half a century ago. In addition, the accuracy of the compass readings is affected by those nearby metal objects or magnets, electronic devices, metal ore deposits, and magnetic storms.
Somerset Island surrounded by other islands. Satellite image.
The first, rather primitive, magnetic compass, about which there is reliable historical data, was invented in China. Exactly when this happened is unknown, but in the 3rd century. BC e. The philosopher Hen Fei-tzu described the structure of a contemporary compass, which was called “Sinan”, which means “in charge of the south”: it looked like a magnetite spoon with a thin handle and a spherical, carefully polished convex part. The convex part of the spoon was mounted on an equally carefully polished copper or wooden plate so that the handle did not touch the plate, while the spoon could easily rotate around the axis of its convex base.
Designations of the cardinal points were applied to the plate. By pushing the handle of the spoon, it was set into rotation. Having stopped, the compass pointed with its handle, which played the role of a magnetic needle, towards the south.
In the 11th century the following observation was made: the magnetization effect manifests itself not only when a magnet comes into contact with iron, but also when the red-hot iron cools. This discovery formed the basis of a compass made in the form of an iron fish, which was heated and lowered into a vessel with water. The fish swam in the water, turning its head towards the south. If it was heated again, it lost its magnetic properties. Such a compass is mentioned in the treatise “Fundamentals of Military Affairs” (“Wu Jin Zunyao”), written in 1044.
Chinese navigators began to navigate using magnetic compasses earlier than others.
Chinese magnetic compass.
If you find yourself with a magnetic compass between the north geographic pole and the north magnetic pole, the north end of the needle will point south, and the south end will point north. In the area of the magnetic pole, an arrow suspended on a thread tends to turn downward along the magnetic lines of the Earth.
Around the same time, several types of compass were invented by the Chinese scientist Shen Gua. He suggested, for example, magnetizing o natural magnet a regular sewing needle, then attach it by the middle with wax to a freely hanging silk thread. This compass pointed the direction more accurately than a floating one, as it experienced much less resistance when turning. Another compass design, proposed by Shen Gua, was even closer to the modern one: a magnetized needle was mounted on a pin. During his experiments, Shen Gua established that the compass needle does not point exactly south, but with some deviation, and correctly explained the reason for this phenomenon by the fact that the magnetic and geographical meridians do not coincide, but form an angle (it is called magnetic declination).
Soon, most Chinese ships were equipped with compasses consisting of a magnetized needle and a piece of cork floating in a container of water. In this form, the Chinese compass in the 12th century. The Arabs borrowed it, and a hundred years later the “floating needle” became known to Europeans. Italian sailors were the first to adopt it from the Arabs. It was they who began to cover the vessel with glass to protect the float from the wind. The European name for this device presumably comes from the Vulgar Latin compassare "to measure".
In the middle of the 14th century. The magnetic needle was placed on the point in the middle of the paper circle of the card. Then the Italian Flavio Gioia improved the compass by dividing the card into 16 parts (points of reference), four for each country of the world. Later the circle was divided into 32 equal sectors. In the 16th century to reduce the impact of pitching, the arrow began to be mounted on a gimbal suspension, and a century later the compass was equipped with a direction finder, a rotating ruler with sights on the ends, which made it possible to more accurately measure the direction. The compass made the same revolution in navigation as gunpowder did in warfare. Armed with a compass, Spanish and Portuguese sailors at the end of the 15th century. ventured on long voyages across the ocean.
Currently, magnetic compasses are used mainly by tourists, topographers, geologists, as well as in orienteering and as a additional means marine navigation. Since the beginning of the 20th century. non-magnetic gyrocompasses began to be used in navigation. Unlike magnetic ones, they point precisely to the geographic poles of the Earth, and are not influenced by external magnetic fields.
The operating principle of the gyrocompass is based on the properties of the gyroscope and daily rotation Earth. In fact, a gyrocompass is a gyroscope, a rotating rotor installed in a gimbal suspension, which gives the rotor axis the ability to freely change its position in space. When rotating, the rotor maintains its spatial orientation due to the law of conservation of angular momentum. The rotating gyroscope itself is not a navigation aid. For a procession to occur, the rotor axis, for example with the help of a weight, is held in a horizontal position relative to the surface of the Earth. In this case, gravity creates a torque, causing the rotor axis to turn to true north.
The gyroscope was invented by Johann Bonenberger probably in 1813. In 1852, the French scientist Foucault improved the gyroscope and used it for the first time as an instrument to show changes in direction. The first imperfect gyrocompass was created in 1885 by the Dane Marius Gerardus van den Bos. 20 years later, the German scientist Hermann Anschutz-Kempfe created and patented his model of a gyrocompass based on it, hoping to use it when traveling to the North Pole on a submarine.
Five years later, another version of the gyroscope was patented by the American Elmer Sperry, who founded the Sperry Gyroscope company to produce it. And everything would have been fine, but Sperry risked offering his development to the German to the navy, after which Anschutz-Kempfe turned
to court with a claim of violation of patent law by an American. Albert Einstein himself was invited as a patent expert, who, although after some hesitation, confirmed Anschutz-Kempfe's copyright. Subsequently, Einstein participated in other developments of the German inventor, in particular in the creation of a two-rotor gyroscopic device called the Einstein Anschutz compass.
Leon Foucault.
IN last years Electronic compasses equipped with a block of magnetoresistors of microelectromechanical systems that determine their relative position in the Earth’s magnetic field have become widespread. Electronic navigation aids also include devices that determine coordinates using satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS). Such navigators determine the location of an object by measuring the distance to it from points with known coordinates from satellites in low-Earth orbit. Strictly speaking, these devices are not compasses in the classical sense, since they are just devices with an indication of the heading angle. However, it is expected that the development of navigation in the future will take place in this direction.
A group of scientists from Russia and the United States has invented a light compass: a beam passing through a cloud of rubidium atoms accurately determines the size and orientation of the magnetic field. In the presence of a magnetic field, the orientation of the atoms changed in one way or another, and these changes were clearly visible in light, indicating both the specific magnitude and direction of the magnetic field.
The “Compass” report for children will briefly tell you the history of the discovery of this object. The compass report can also be used during preparation for the lesson.
Compass message
Compass is a device for searching the sides of the horizon using a magnetic needle, which indicates the direction to the south and north. It was invented many centuries ago, and it immediately began to be used by travelers. The compass was the first navigational device that allowed sailors to go out to sea.
Where and when did the first compass appear?
In the 3rd century BC. e. In China, a device was invented that pointed to the cardinal directions. Outwardly, it resembled a spoon with a thin handle and a convex spherical part. It was made from magnetite. The polished convex part of the spoon was placed on a wooden or copper plate, also polished. The handle hung freely above the plate, but the spoon rotated around the axis of the convex base. The countries of the world were indicated on the plate. The compass needle, at rest, always pointed exactly south. This ancient compass was called sonan, that is, “in charge of the south.”
In the 11th century, the Chinese invented a floating compass needle made from an artificial magnet. The iron compass then had the shape of a fish. First, it was heated until red, and then lowered into a vessel with water. The “fish” began to swim, and its head pointed to the south. Shen Gua, a scientist from the same China, proposed a couple of varieties of compass: with a magnetized needle and silk thread, with a magnetized needle and hairpin. In the 12th century, a compass with a magnetic needle was used by the Arabs, and a century later by the Italians, French, Spaniards and Portuguese.
In the 14th century, they began to place a magnetic needle on a point in the middle of a circle made of paper - a card. The next person to improve the compass was the Italian Flavio Giulio. He divided the paper circle into 16 parts. In the 17th century, it was improved with a rotating ruler with sights, which made it possible to more accurately calculate the direction.
What does a compass consist of?
The design of the device depends on the type of compass. The following types are distinguished: gyrocompass, magnetic compass, electronic compass. The main part of a regular magnetic compass is a compass with a pin in the center. There is a magnetic needle at the end of the spire, and the body itself is covered with glass on top.
Compass: interesting facts
- Before the invention and spread of the compass, sailors on their ships did not go out to the open sea, so as not to get lost.
- The compass was brought to Europe by Venetian merchants.
- Before the Chinese, the Indians used something like a compass. In San Lorenzo Tenochtilan, scientists found a hematite artifact dating back to 1000 BC. But magnetic iron ore was still discovered by the Chinese.
- You can make your own compass from a saucer of water and a magnetized needle.
We hope that the report about the compass helped you learn a lot useful information about him. A short story You can leave information about the compass using the comment form below.
