What Is A Compass?
Science is used much more than people realize. Science isn't just chemistry; all of these instruments include a scientific discovery behind it. The compass is an awesome example of this. Mariners discovered that lodestone had pointed towards the direction of the north star, giving them a rough idea of their sense of direction.
For a long time, Europeans had known that Lodestone had magnetic properties. The first compasses had lodestone put on a floating piece of wood in a pan of water. Whatever direction the pointed end faced, was North.
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Explorers would later find that the sun would rise in the East, set in the West, and during the Afternoon, be in the South. This way, explorers were able to pinpoint just what direction they were heading after awhile.
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Effect Today:
Compasses today are used for general direction within a certain range of area. The larger the distance, the harder it is to locate where to specifically go.
Compasses today are used for general direction within a certain range of area. The larger the distance, the harder it is to locate where to specifically go.