The history of the invention of the compass goes back a long way. The first description of a compass was made in the 3rd century BC by the Chinese philosopher Hen Fei-tzu. It was a pouring spoon made of magnetite with a narrow handle, shaped like a ball. It was installed on a plate made of copper and wood, on which the zodiac signs were marked. In this case, the handle was suspended and could rotate in a circle. The spoon was set in motion, and it always pointed south when it stopped. This was the very first compass in the world.
In the middle of the 11th century, a floating needle was made from an artificial magnet in China. Most often it took the form of a fish. She was lowered into the water where she floated. The fish's head always pointed south. At the same time, a scientist from China, Shen Gua, came up with several versions of the compass. He magnetized a sewing needle and used wax to attach it to a hanging thread of silk. It was a more accurate compass because the resistance encountered when turning was reduced. In another version, he suggested putting this needle on a hairpin. Based on his experiments, the inventor Shen Gua noticed that the arrow pointed south with a slight deviation. He was able to explain this by the difference between the magnetic and geographical meridians. Later, scientists learned to calculate this deviation for different parts of China. In the 11th century, many Chinese ships had floating compasses. They were placed on the bow of the ship so that the captain could always look at his readings.
In the 12th century, the Chinese invention was used by the Arabs, and in the 13th century by the Europeans. In Europe, the Italians were the first to learn about the compass, then the Spaniards, the French, and then the British and Germans. Then the compass was a cork and a magnetized needle floating in a container of water. Soon, to protect it from the wind, they began to cover it with glass.
At the beginning of the 14th century, a magnetized arrow was installed on a circle of paper, and after some time the Italian Flavio Gioia divided the circle into 16 parts, and then into 32 sectors. In the middle of the 16th century, the arrow was fixed on a gimbal to reduce the influence of pitching, and a century later in the history of the compass, the appearance of a rotating ruler was noted, which increased the accuracy of the readings. The compass became the first navigation device for finding a way on the open sea. This allowed sailors to go on long voyages across the ocean.
Magnetic compass is one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind. It was thanks to this device that the Great geographical discoveries.
What is a compass and what is it for?
A compass is an amazing device, using which you can always determine your exact location relative to the cardinal points. Undoubtedly, his invention is one of the greatest achievements of mankind, thanks to which all the great geographical discoveries were made. The invention of this device has the same significance for navigation as the beginning of the use of gunpowder in warfare. Thanks to the compass, on new level cartography rose.
To accurately plot routes (primarily by sea), you need to know where you are and in which direction you are heading. Ancient sailors determined their location using the sun and stars. But they were not always visible. In the old days, ships tried not to go out into the open sea and stayed close to the shores. Using landmarks on the shore, sailors determined their position.
Only the invention of the compass and sextant made it possible to make long journeys and discover distant lands. It is not known exactly who invented the compass. It is believed that this device was invented in ancient China. However, then it was repeatedly improved, and the device that exists today bears very little resemblance to its distant ancestor.
The principle of operation of the compass is that the magnetic needle interacts with the Earth's magnetic field and is located along power lines planets.
Simply put, the magnetic needle will always be rotated along the Earth's magnetic line. One end of it will point to the North Magnetic Pole of our planet, and the other to the South Pole.
Invention of the compass
Which people were the first to think of using the Earth's magnetic field to determine their exact position relative to the cardinal directions? Scientists believe that they were Chinese.
Historians suggest that the first compass was invented in China during the Han Dynasty. It was the Chinese who discovered amazing properties magnetic iron ore. True, they first used this mineral not for navigation, but for fortune telling. Their description can be found in the ancient Chinese treatise Lunheng.
The Chinese were the first to use magnetized iron to determine the cardinal directions. The name of the scientist is even called - Shen Gua, who lived during the Song Dynasty. First, special molds were cast from magnetic iron, which were then placed in a vessel with water. In 1119, Zhu Yu proposed using a needle compass. This is reported in the Chinese treatise “Table Talk in Ningzhou”.
There is a description of another ancient Chinese compass, made in the form of a spoon with a thin handle. The spoon was made of magnetic material. It was placed on a polished surface so that the handle of the spoon did not touch the surface. It was he who showed the cardinal directions. The polished surface was often decorated with signs of the Zodiac or symbols of countries around the world.
This device is considered one of the four great Chinese inventions: gunpowder, paper, printing and the compass. But, as you understand, information about that distant era is quite vague and uncertain, so many scientists doubt it.
Compass in Europe and the East
It is believed that the ancient Chinese used a compass to travel through deserts. Chinese ships were also equipped with it.
In the 12th century similar device appeared among the Arabs. It remains not entirely clear whether they themselves invented it or borrowed it from the Chinese. In Europe, the compass appeared in the 12th or 13th century. Some scientists believe that Europeans borrowed its device from the Arabs, others argue that they came up with this invention on their own. Italian sailors were the first to use the compass.
Mentions of this device can be found among the Kipchaks in 1282 and among al-Makrizi. They both describe the use of a compass at sea. It was adopted from the Italians by the Spaniards and Portuguese, and then by the British and French. It was the use of this device that allowed Europeans to discover new continents, cross oceans and make the first trip around the world.
What did the first instruments look like?
At that time, the compass was very different from the device we are used to seeing today. At first it was a container of water in which a piece of wood or cork floated, and a magnetic needle was inserted into it. To protect the vessel from wind and water, they began to cover it with glass.
This device was not very accurate. The magnetic needle resembled a thick needle. It is worth adding that the first devices were very expensive, and only very wealthy people had the opportunity to purchase them. Then this device was improved.
In the 14th century, the Italian scientist Flavio Gioia proposed placing a magnetic needle on a vertical axis, and attaching a coil to the needle, dividing it into 16 points. The sailors really liked this innovation. A century later, the reel was already divided into 32 points, and it became even more convenient. The compass itself began to be placed in a special suspension to reduce the influence of sea motion on it.
In the 17th century, a direction finder appeared - a special ruler with sights, which was attached to the lid. The device has become even more convenient.
Modern devices
Nowadays, despite the advent of satellite navigation and gyrocompass, an ordinary magnetic compass continues to serve people faithfully. Certainly, modern devices bear little resemblance to their medieval predecessors. They are made using latest technologies and materials.
Today, an ordinary magnetic compass is most often used by tourists, geologists, climbers, travelers and simply lovers of excursions and hikes. Ships and planes have long been using other, more advanced devices. An electromagnetic compass that eliminates interference from the metal hull of a ship, a gyrocompass that accurately points to the geographic pole or satellite navigation devices.
But of all the instruments that indicate the direction and cardinal directions, a regular compass is the simplest and most unpretentious. It does not require electricity, it is simple, convenient and reliable. And he will always point you in the right direction to a safe harbor.
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 that has the ability to indicate direction to magnetic poles Earth 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 arrow is always parallel to the lines magnetic field planets(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 in his famous flight across 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 camps nomadic peoples Mediterranean evidence indicates 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.
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 on this device iron products of the ship. 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.
Instructions
The idea of creating a compass belongs to the ancient Chinese. In the 3rd century BC. one of the Chinese philosophers described the compass of that time as follows. It was a magnetite pouring spoon, which had a thin handle and a well-polished spherical convex part. The spoon rested with its convex part on the same carefully polished surface of a copper or wooden plate, while the handle of the plate did not touch, but hung freely above it. In this way, the spoon could rotate around its convex base. On the plate itself the cardinal directions were drawn in the form of zodiac signs. If you specifically pushed the handle of the spoon, it began to rotate, and when it stopped, the handle always pointed exactly to the south.
Everyone in China in the 11th century came up with a floating compass needle. It was made from an artificial magnet, usually in the shape of a fish. She was placed in a vessel with water, where she floated freely, and when she stopped, she also always pointed her head to the south. Other forms of the compass were invented in the same century by the Chinese scientist Shen Gua. He suggested magnetizing an ordinary sewing needle about natural magnet, and then attach this needle in the center of the body to the silk thread using wax. This resulted in less turning of the needle than in water, and therefore the compass showed a more accurate direction. Another model proposed by the scientist involved fastening not to a silk thread, but to a hairpin, which is more reminiscent modern form compass.
Almost all Chinese ships in XI had floating compasses installed. It is in this form that they spread throughout the world. They were first adopted by the Arabs in the 12th century. Later, the magnetic needle became known in European countries: first - in Italy, then - in Portugal, Spain, France, later - in England and Germany. At first, a magnetized needle on a piece of wood or cork floated in a vessel with water, later they decided to cover the vessel with glass, and even later they figured out placing a magnetic needle on a point in the center of a paper circle. Then the compass was improved by the Italians, a coil was added to it, which was divided into 16 (later 32) equal sectors pointing to the cardinal directions (first 4, and later 8 sectors for each side).
Further development of science and technology made it possible to create an electromagnetic version of the compass, which is more advanced in the sense that it does not provide for deviations due to the presence of ferromagnetic parts in the vehicle on which it is used. In 1908, the German engineer G. Anschutz-Kampfe created a prototype of a gyrocompass, the advantage of which was to indicate the direction not to the magnetic north pole, but to the true geographic one. The gyrocompass is almost universally used for navigation and control of large sea vessels. The modern era of new computer technologies has made it possible to come up with an electronic compass, the creation of which is associated primarily with the development of a satellite navigation system.