Work done by :Yitong Wang yow5293@psu.eduSophia Yiu scy5036@psu.eduGaohong Liu gzl5117@psu.eduHanlun Zhou hoz5102@psu.edu

Project 1 Physics 001 Section 001

The Invention, History and Impact of Compass

The Area of navigation is dark and cloudy!

People can’t go far without compass and nearly know nothing about the world outside.

Before compass’s invention, people use cordierite to determine the sun's direction and some lagging methods to determine four basic directions.

Before the Invention of Compass---

Compass is used to determine position of a

simple instrument. Formerly known as Sinan. The

main components are mounted on a shaft can freely

rotate the needle (commonly known as magnet).

Needle on the ground magnetic field can be

maintained at the tangent magnetic radial direction.

Needle points to the geographical North Pole South

Pole, take advantage of this performance can be a

sense of direction. Commonly used in navigation,

geodesy, travel and military and so on.

Introduction

The magnetic compass was first

invented as a device for divination as early as the

Chinese Han Dynasty (since about 206 BC), Formerly

known as Sinan. The compass was used in Song

Dynasty China by the military for navigational

orienteering by 1040-1044, and was used for maritime

navigation by 1111 to 1117. The use of a compass is

recorded in Western Europe between 1187 and 1202,

and in Persia in 1232. The dry compass was invented in

Europe around 1300. This was supplanted in the early

20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.

(Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass#Using_a_compass)

Compass invented the ancient Chinese

practice of long-term understanding of the

results of magnetic objects. Ancient Chinese

people into contact with magnetite, as he

began to understand the nature of

magnetism. It cited the first to discover the

magnetic properties of iron. Then they

discovered that the directivity of the

magnet. After many experiments and

studies, and finally invented the compass

can be useful.

The Earth is also a big magnet, and its two

very near the geographic South Pole,

respectively, and the geographical North

Pole areas. Therefore, the Earth's surface

magnets, free to rotate, they will repel the

same sex due to magnet, opposites attract

nature of the north-south direction. This

principle is not enough to understand the

ancients, but such phenomena they are

very clear.

The working Principle of SINAN

A working model of the oldest instrument in the world

which is known to be a compass. The spoon or ladle is of

magnetic lodestone, and the plate is of Bronze. The

circular center represents Heaven, and the square plate

represents Earth . The handle of the spoon points south.

The spoon is a symbolic representation of the Great Bear.

The plate bears Chinese characters which denote the eight

main directions of north, north-east, east, etc., and

symbols from the I Ching oracle books which were

correlated with directions. Separately marked are the finer

gradations of twenty-four compass points, and along the

outermost edge are the twenty-eight lunar mansions. This

type of compass has been scientifically tested and found

to work tolerably well - It was used not for navigation, but

for quasi- magical purposes.(ORACLE Think Quest

http://library.thinkquest.org/23062/compass.html)

The Working Principle of magnetic compass

In ancient times, the sailors who used a magnetic compass to

navigate, believed that a group of stars or a mysterious range of

iron capped mountains in the north regulate its working. In China,

the magnetized iron found in the lodestone, a naturally occurring

magnetic ore was used to make a floating compass in the

12th century. A piece of magnetized iron placed on a wooden

splinter and floated in a bowl of water would itself swing to north-

south direction. A small pocket compass works on the same

principle as the first crude compass: instead of a lodestone and a

wood splinter, it has magnetized needle that swings on a pivot to

indicate north. The compass works because earth itself is a huge

magnet. Its magnetic poles are oval areas about 2100 Km from

the geographic north and south poles. The magnetic North Pole is

in Canada and the magnetic South Pole is near Antarctica.

Irregular lines of force connect the magnetic poles and the

compass needle simply aligns itself with these lines of force.

(http://www.abhigyan.com/TreasurePage/MagneticCompass.htm)

The invention of Compass certainly has some significant impacts on human’s world and society.

We concluded that there are basically four biggest impacts of compass.

1. Supporting Navigation, helping people discover the new continent

2. Used as building orientation

3. Supporting Mining

4. Supporting Astronomy

The Significant Impact of Compass

Prior to the introduction of the compass, position,

destination, and direction at sea were primarily determined

by the sighting of landmarks, supplemented with the

observation of the position of celestial bodies. On cloudy

days, the Vikings may have used cordierite to determine the

sun's direction and elevation from the polarization of

daylight; their astronomical knowledge was sufficient to let

them use this information to determine their proper

heading. For more southerly Europeans unacquainted with

this technique, the invention of the compass enabled the

determination of heading when the sky was overcast or

foggy. This enabled mariners to navigate safely far from

land, increasing sea trade, and contributing to the Age of

Discovery.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass#Using_a_compass)

Impact on Navigation

Evidence for the orientation of buildings by the means of

a magnetic compass can be found in 12th century

Denmark: one fourth of its 570 Romanesque churches are

rotated by 5-15 degrees clockwise from true east-west,

thus corresponding to the predominant magnetic

declination of the time of their construction. Most of

these churches were built in the 12th century, indicating

a fairly common usage of magnetic compasses in Europe

by then.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass#Using_a_compass)

As Building Orientation

The use of a compass as a direction finder

underground was pioneered by the Tuscan

mining town Massa where floating magnetic

needles were employed for determining

tunneling and defining the claims of the

various mining companies as early as the 13th

century. In the second half of the 15th century,

the compass became standard equipment for

Tyrolian miners.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass#Using_a_compas

s)

Impact on Mining

In the 14th century, the Syrian astronomer

and timekeeper Ibn al-Shatir (1304–1375)

invented a timekeeping device incorporating

both a universal sundial and a magnetic

compass. He invented it for the purpose of

finding the times of salat prayers. Arab

navigators also introduced the 32-point

compass rose during this time.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass#Using_a_compass)

Impact on Astronomy

Knowing Your Way – Compass ORACLE Think Quest

http://library.thinkquest.org/23062/compass.html

Working Principle of a compass

http://www.abhigyan.com/TreasurePage/MagneticCompass.htm

Compass Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass#Using_a_compass

Reference and Citations

Magnetic Compass Purple History

A short and interesting video introducing compass

Thank you!