One of greatest discoveries humanity is invention of the compass. It is difficult to overestimate its significance; it made a real revolution in the history of navigation. The compass became the first navigational device that allowed brave sailors to leave the seashores and go out to the open sea. Already in the 3rd century BC. e. A device was invented in China to indicate the cardinal directions. The ancient compass looked like a spoon with a thin handle and a spherical convex part; the spoon itself was made of magnetite. The well-polished convex part of the spoon was mounted on a copper or wooden plate, which was also carefully polished. The handle of the spoon hung freely above the plate, and the spoon itself rotated freely around the axis of the installed convex base. On the plate the countries of the world were indicated in the form of cyclic signs of the Zodiac. The role of a magnetic needle was played by the handle of a spoon. If the handle is put into rotation and then waits a little, then the stopped arrow (its role is played by the handle of the spoon) will point exactly to the south. This was the very first ancient compass, called sonan - “knowing the south” and described by the Chinese philosopher Hen Fei-tzu. Of course, such a compass was far from perfect and had many drawbacks: magnetite was fragile and difficult to process, and friction between the surface of the board and the convex part of the spoon led to slight deviations from the direction to the south.
In the 11th century, a floating compass needle was invented in China; it was made from an artificial magnet. A magnetized iron compass, usually in the shape of a fish, was heated until red and then lowered into a vessel of water. 
Here she began to swim freely, and her head turned towards the south. The scientist Shen Gua, who lived and worked in China in the same 11th century, studied the properties of the magnetic needle for a long time. They were offered several types of compass. Using a magnetized needle, which must be attached with wax in the center of the body to a hanging silk thread, he found that such a compass indicates the direction more accurately than a floating one. They also proposed a more improved design, in which a magnetized needle was attached to a pin. The scientist explained the fact that the compass needle pointed south with a slight deviation not by the coincidence of the geographical and magnetic meridians; they form an angle, which they later learned to calculate and called magnetic deviation. Many Chinese ships already had floating compasses installed in the 11th century.
In the 12th century, the Chinese needle began to be used by the Arabs, from them in the 13th century it became known to Italian sailors, then to the Spaniards, Portuguese and French. The Germans and British began to use the compass later. If at first the compass was a magnetized needle and a piece of wood floating in a vessel with water, then later the vessel began to be covered with glass to protect the float from the effects of wind.
In the 14th century, a magnetic needle was placed on a point in the middle of a paper circle called a card. Later, the Italian Flavio Giulio took a huge step towards improving the compass by dividing the card into 16 parts (points of reference). Later the circle will be divided into 32 sectors. In the 16th century, the arrow began to be mounted on a gimbal, which reduced the impact of pitching, and in the 17th century, the compass was improved with a rotating ruler with sights for more accurate calculation of direction.
The history of the creation of the compass will be of interest not only to specialists. The compass can easily be included in the list of the greatest discoveries of mankind. Thanks to him, cartography was later created, which allowed people to learn about new things. We owe it to the compass. After all, before its appearance, travelers were guided only by the stars and geographical objects. But these landmarks were highly dependent on the weather. Ordinary clouds could easily disarm a traveler. Since the invention of the compass, these problems have disappeared. But the history of the creation of the compass requires a more detailed story. Well, let's begin!
Compass: the story of its discovery
The word “compass” itself comes from the ancient British “compass”, meaning “circle”. Most modern historians claim that the compass was invented in China in the 1st century. BC e. Although there is evidence that this device existed back in the 2nd millennium BC. e. In any case, then the compass was a small piece of magnetized metal, which was attached to a wooden strip located in a vessel with water. This type of compass was used when moving through deserts. It was also used by astrologers.
The history of the discovery of the compass says that it appeared in the Arab world in the 8th century, and in the 12th century only. The Italians were the first to adopt this device from the Arabs. Then the Spaniards, Portuguese and French began to use the compass. The last to learn about the new device were the Germans and the British. But even at that time, the design of the compass remained as simple as possible: a magnetic needle was attached to a plug and lowered into the water. It was in the water that the plug, complete with an arrow, was oriented accordingly. In the 11th century Still in China, a compass needle appeared, which was made from an artificial magnet. As a rule, it was made in the shape of a fish.
The history of the creation of the compass continued in the 14th century. The baton was taken up by the Italian F. Gioia, who managed to significantly improve this device. In particular, he decided to put a magnetic needle on a vertical pin. This seemingly simple device helped to significantly improve the compass. In addition, a reel was attached to the arrow, divided into 16 points. Two centuries later, the division of the coil was already 32 points, and the box with the arrow began to be placed in a special gimbal. Thus, the ship's rocking ceased to affect the compass. In the 17th century The compass was equipped with a rotating ruler, which helped to more accurately measure the direction. In the 18th century he had a direction finder.
But the story of the creation of the compass does not end there. In 1838, a way was found to neutralize the influence of the ship's iron products on this device. And in 1908, a gyrocompass appeared, which became the main navigation device. It is he who always points north. Today, the exact direction of travel can be determined using satellite navigation, however, many ships are equipped with them for additional checks or in case of technical problems. Thus, the history of the creation of the compass goes back not even hundreds, but thousands of years.
The compass is the simplest and most ancient navigation device. Navigating the terrain using a compass is simple: the magnetized arrow always points north. The device known to every schoolchild has a very long and interesting story.
Looking at modern astronomical or radio compasses, it is difficult to imagine that their prototype - a piece of magnetic ore that people invented to use to find directions - appeared long before the birth of Christ.
And again the Chinese
Like many other inventions that humanity uses to this day, the compass was invented by the ancient Chinese. According to some sources, prehistoric compasses appeared three millennia BC, according to others - no earlier than the 2nd century BC.
The first version is based more on myths than on historical facts. In China, Emperor Huang Di is revered, who ruled the country around 2600 BC. He is credited with the invention of the first compass, with the help of which the ruler found his way in the desert and saved his army from certain death. However, historically reliable information about this person does not exist.
Another hypothesis states that during the Han Dynasty (in the 1st-2nd century BC), the Chinese were already using a compass. This compass was a magnetized object with a semicircular base that rotated, always pointing to one side of the world. 
It is reliably known that during the Song Dynasty (in the 10th-13th centuries AD) the Chinese had compasses, which they used for orientation in the deserts.
Further spread of the compass
From the Chinese the compass came to the Arabs. The Arabs were good sailors; they needed navigational aids, so they liked the idea of a compass. The 13th century Arabic compass was a magnetized object that was dipped into a container of water. The minimum frictional force allowed the object to move freely, turning in one of the cardinal directions. In this form, the prototype of the modern compass came to the Europeans.
European navigators needed a navigation device, and they quickly improved the Arabian device. The inventor of the European compass, which not only indicates the north-south direction, but allows you to more accurately navigate to the cardinal points, is the Italian Flavio Gioia. He divided the compass dial into 16 divisions.
In addition, Gioia finally installed the arrow on a thin pin (this idea had previously been used in some models of compasses), and to reduce the friction force in the axis, he poured water into the bowl. This happened in the 14th century. Since then, the design of the compass has undergone significant changes, but Joya's design is used in all modern magnetic compasses to this day.
Modern types of compasses
For use in various industries Several types of compass have been developed.
Magnetic compasses action based magnetic field Earth. The magnetized element always occupies a position parallel to the meridians and points towards the magnetic poles of the planet. A successful model of a magnetic compass is the compass invented by our compatriot, the talented engineer Adrianov and named after him.
This is a well-known compass with an arrow that can be stopped using a stopper. For precise orientation, Adrianov's compass is equipped with a scale and two additional arrows (front and rear sight).
Electromagnetic compass uses the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. In such compasses, the stator (fixed part) is the Earth, and the rotor (moving part) is a frame with a winding. Electromagnetic compasses are used in aircraft and ships because they avoid the magnetization effect of the metal case and minimize errors.
Gyro-compass
is based on the use of a special device - a gyroscope, and is distinctive in that it points not to the magnetic, but to the geographical pole. An invention of German engineers at the beginning of the 20th century.
Electronic compasses
created in recent decades. In fact, these are not compasses, but devices that pick up signals from satellites and show the direction using a satellite navigation system.
Hello again, Dear friends! Guess the riddle!
When this friend is with you,
You can do it without roads
Walk north and south
To the west and east!
Did you guess it? Here's a hint for you! This is a device that helps you navigate the area, not get lost in the forest and find your way back. Well, of course it's a compass!
Someone might smile: why use a simpleton compass today, if in the world latest technologies You can pave the way with modern navigators!
Of course, you need to keep up with the times and make your life easier with the help of fashionable technical gadgets. But what if suddenly in a deep forest the super-conductor’s battery runs out and you don’t have a spare one with you? Or will the GPS connection fail? How then? Even though it may not be useful, each of us should at least know how to use a compass so that we can easily use it when necessary.
Lesson plan:
How did the compass come about?
Before teaching you how to use it correctly a simple device, I would like to briefly tell you who came up with this little thing that helps you find your way.
Where do you think the compass was born? You won’t believe it, but the Chinese are here again! According to some available facts, prehistoric instruments for determining the cardinal directions appeared among them even before our era. Later, from the 10th century, the Chinese used it to determine the right path in the desert.
From China, the compass migrated to Arab sailors, who so needed a guide. A magnetized object placed in water turned to one side of the world.
Europeans found the necessary device by the 13th century and improved it. The Italian Gioia made the dial and also divided it into 16 parts. In addition, he secured the arrow on a thin pin, and covered the instrument’s bowl with glass, pouring water into it.
Many years have passed since then, scientists have been improving the compass all the time, but the European idea itself has not changed today.
What types of compasses are there?
The types of guidebooks depend on where they are used.
Magnetic devices
Electromagnetic devices
They operate by magnetic induction and are used in aircraft and ships. They are not magnetized by the metal, so they give less error.
Gyrocompasses
They work using a special device called a gyroscope. This is a device that responds to changes in orientation angle. Such devices are used in shipping and rocketry.
Electronic compasses
This is a new product of recent decades, which already looks more like a navigator, as it picks up a signal from a satellite.
How does a regular compass work?
To learn how to navigate, you need to understand what a regular compass is and how it works. I propose to consider the well-known Hadrian model.
The magnetic device consists of a body and a needle located in the center on which the arrow rests. Most often, this arrow is painted in two colors: one tip is blue and the other is red. A properly working compass always has a blue arrow pointing north, while a red arrow, accordingly, points exactly the opposite - to the south.
It also has a scale. It is called a limb and consists of numbers. The outer scale of numbers is divided by divisions from 0 to 360. This is the degree, or angle, of rotation of the arrow. The direction of movement is determined by it. In addition, the cardinal directions can be signed on the limb in Russian or English capital letters:
— C or N indicates north,
- Yu or S means south,
- B or E points east,
— W or W shows where west is.
Before using the compass, it is checked. To make sure that your device works without errors, you need to put it on horizontal surface and wait until the arrow freezes, showing where north is. Bring any metal object near the device. Under the influence of a magnet, the arrow will deflect in its direction. Then we remove the metal from the field of action and observe our arrow.
If our compass is working properly, then the arrow will certainly turn to its original position to the north.
It is important! Magnetic compass Do not use near power lines or near railway tracks. The arrow begins to reach towards the metal, so the mechanism does not work correctly.
Learning to walk by compass
Learn how to use a compass before you travel with it long way, maybe in an apartment. So, here is a short instruction that will help you master this simple device and use it to return safely from your trip.
Here our work with the compass ends. Let's go to next room"for mushrooms and berries." When the time comes to return home, we take out our compass and begin to look for the right path.
- We place the compass on the palm of our hand. Set the arrow towards the north.
- We build a return line: through the center we connect two numbers: the azimuth point and the one that indicated our initial movement, namely to the “neighboring forest”.
- We return to where the azimuth is directed.
If you have returned to the original point to the conventional landmark, then you can safely go on a trip. If instead of the kitchen where you came from, you suddenly returned to the bathroom, then it’s still too early for you to go to the forest. Need to practice.
It is important! If your path is winding and often turns in one direction or the other, experienced travelers advise dividing it into sections, choosing a separate landmark at each section and writing down its data. It will be easier to return from point to point.
How to transfer a path to a map?
Some tourists find it convenient to follow the map, where symbols. Sometimes this is simply necessary when you don’t know the exact coordinates, but Right place depicted only graphically. How to find it several kilometers away? You need to transfer your course to a regular card.
- Place the card on a flat surface.
- Place the compass on top of the map so that you use its edge as a line from your current location to your destination.
- We turn the device until the arrow hits the north indicator. But! The pointer is not on the device itself, but a pointer to the north direction drawn on the map (the so-called geographic north).
- As soon as the arrow of the device connects with the arrow drawn on the map, we look at the number - the azimuth, indicating the place where we are going.
- We remember the destination number and remove the card.
Navigating around the map also helps when you get lost. To do this, just find on paper a landmark near which you are, for example, a river or a road, and using the instructions described above, go to the desired place.
Both the West and the East seduced me.
But I never believed them!
I've walked and sailed hundreds of miles and roads,
But the soul is always eager to go north!
It's true that everyone has a path,
Yes, it’s not often simple and familiar!
And walk along it, don’t get lost, don’t turn aside,
Someone who is magnetized like me can do it!
Are you sure that there is nothing complicated about using a compass?! But this simple device can become an indispensable assistant! Therefore, take it quickly, spin it, train, because summer is coming, and this good time Test your knowledge and have an orienteering competition!
To consolidate the information received, watch the video lesson, and if something was still unclear, then after watching everything will definitely become clearer.
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“ShkolaLa” bids farewell to you for a short time with wishes for good travels!
Evgenia Klimkovich.
We invite you to guess the riddle:
You won't get lost on the road,
Holding a box with a magnetic arrow in your palm.
It will help you stay on track
And it will lead to the appointed point.
You easily guessed, of course, that it was a compass. This great invention, which rightfully belongs to the category of the four greatest inventions of mankind, has been preserved and used to this day. The compass became the first navigation device that helped navigators navigate the open sea.
The essence of the compass structure is a magnetic needle mounted on a small rod and capable of freely rotating in all directions. The arrow points to North. In accordance with its location, other objects that are located on Earth are plotted on the map. Thanks to this, the compass is used in orientation not only on water, but also on land.
The question of where the compass was invented and who invented the compass does not have an exact answer. For a long time, it was still believed that the discovery, based on a magnetized iron needle, belonged to China. A type of compass was originally used for orientation when moving through the desert. The primacy of the invention of the device and the country in which the compass was invented are disputed by Indians, Italians, Arabs, and French. All arguments and evidence contain inaccuracies and inconsistencies. Unfortunately, judgments and records of this discovery have survived to this day only in the minds of scientists and assumptions about who invented the compass, and not the testimony of sailors.
In the third century, there was already a description of the first compass, which belongs to the Chinese scientist Hen Fei-tzu. It was like a polished spoon with a handle, which was mounted on a plate made of wood or copper. The directions of light were indicated on the plate. Having positioned the magnetite spoon so that the handle did not touch the plane, they began to rotate it. The side of the world that the stalk pointed to after it stopped on its own designated the south.
Exists Chinese legend about who invented the compass. During the reign of Lord Huang Di, a great battle took place, during which an evil spirit, using witchcraft, released a thick fog. In this situation, the soldiers could not fight: they did not see anything around them, they did not understand where the rear was and where the front was. The enemy suddenly emerged from the fog and dealt a fatal blow. The situation was very deplorable. Only one dignitary named Feng-hou sat on his chariot and thought. He was looking for a way out of this situation. It was necessary to come up with something that would help navigate the cardinal directions. This man was very wise. Under the roar of battle, he built a chariot and installed on it a figurine of a small iron man, who always pointed his outstretched hand to the south, no matter where the chariot turned. Feng-hou is considered by legend to be the inventor of the first compass.
A magnetic device for determining the cardinal directions in the daytime was first mentioned in a Chinese book dated 1044. 44 years later, a slightly improved compass was described in his work by the Chinese scientist Shen Ko. Currently, this version that the Chinese were the first inventors of the compass is questioned. One thing is undeniable - the Chinese were among the first to guess the principle of the compass. In the 11th century, a compass was already present at the stern of all Chinese ships.
Europe became acquainted with this marvelous invention thanks to Arab merchants at the beginning of the 22nd century. Already in the 11th century, all the ships of Arab merchants had compasses. Then the compass was a bowl of water in which a wooden strip or cork with a magnetized arrow inserted into it floated. (On the Arab ship, the compass was made in the form of an iron fish, which, when immersed in water, invariably pointed to the north.) Following the Arabs, the sailors of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, and England began to use the compass. With the help of such a compass one could find out where north and south were. Around this time, they figured out how to cover the compass with glass for convenience.
An improved model of the compass was invented by the Italian Flavio Gioia in the 14th century. For the convenience of determining other cardinal directions, he proposed dividing the compass circle into sixteen parts. He also improved the rotation function by adding a pin under the frog.
We may no longer be able to find out exactly who invented the compass. There have been too many doubts about this lately. One thing is clear: a simple and very smart device has helped humanity make a giant leap forward in its development.