What are the Different Types of Compass?

The compass, called Sinan in ancient times, is mainly composed of a magnetic needle mounted on a shaft. The magnetic needle can rotate freely under the action of the natural geomagnetic field and remain in the tangential direction of the magnetic meridian. The north pole of the magnetic needle points to the north magnetic pole. Performance can tell the direction.

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Compass, called Sinan in ancient times, the main component is a compass

The earth is a big magnet. The two poles of the earth are approaching geography

In China's azimuth culture, it experienced three stages from astronomical positioning and magnetic methods to Sinan, and finally evolved from Sinan into a compass, followed by the continuous improvement of azimuth measurement technology. ^[4]

China s magnetic needles and compasses have spread westward through land and water, and have had a significant impact on the progress of human civilization. Historians believe that the water compass with the magnetic needle floating in the water is the same as the compass, and it is the invention of China. The dry compass held by the "Zhang Xianren" figurine unearthed from the tomb of Zhu Jinan in Linchuan and Southern Song of Jiangxi in 1985 proves that the invention right of the dry compass also belongs to China. ^[1]

Modern electronic compass

Modern people have produced various electronic compasses, which are commonly used in smart phones. Electronic compasses are also called digital compasses. They are a method of using the geomagnetic field to determine the North Pole. They are applied to mobile phones. In fact, they are electronic compasses. Resistive sensors and fluxgates.

The meaning of the word "guide" means guidance or guidelines, while "guide" is derived from "Sinan", and the two have only one sound. In the Han to Tang literature, readers can read words such as "Sinan of Things", "Sinan of Wen" and Sinan of People. After the Tang Dynasty, in the social sciences, the term "Sinan" was completely replaced by "Guide". After the Tang Dynasty, "Sinan" (magnetic spoon) disappeared miraculously, because the magnetic needle had been released. ^[1]

The magnetic meridian changes with the four seasons. First, on the day of the vernal equinox and autumn equinox, the magnetic meridian and the meridian coincide with the three meridians of the earth. The compass points directly at the poles in the north-south direction of the earth. Second, on the summer solstice and winter solstice, the magnetic meridian and the meridian are not coincident and have the largest demagnetization angle, and the maximum deviation is plus or minus 23.26 °. The length divided by the 365 ° angle at plus or minus 23 ° is equal to the distance between the north and south poles of the magnetic pole (plus and minus radian kilometers).

Compass opens the world market

Compass application in navigation has greatly promoted geographical discoveries and maritime trade. ^[10] The invention of the compass originated from the research on how to orient the ancient Chinese, and it also shows that the ancients attached great importance to how to orient the problem. For this reason, the compass was hailed as one of the four great inventions in ancient China. The ancient Chinese used the compass for military and navigational activities, and also used it for tactics. Later, it was introduced into Europe, playing an irreplaceable role in European navigational activities and geographical discoveries. The compass is also the single most important invention in navigational inventions. ^[6]