The history of the compass will be of interest not only to specialists. The compass can be safely included in the list of the greatest discoveries of mankind. Thanks to him, cartography was later created, which allowed a person to learn about new habitats. It is to the compass that we owe the discovery of America. Indeed, 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 get started!
Compass: the history 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. BC e. Although there is evidence that this device existed as early as the 2nd millennium BC. e. In any case, then the compass was a small piece of magnetized metal that was attached to a wooden plank that was in a vessel of water. Such a compass was used when driving through the 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 European countries - only in the 12th century. The Italians were the first to adopt this device from the Arabs. Then the Spanish, Portuguese and French began to use the compass. The Germans and the British were the last to learn about the new device. But even at that time, the compass device remained as simple as possible: the magnetic needle was fixed on a cork and lowered into the water. It was in the water that the cork, supplemented by an arrow, was oriented accordingly. In the XI century. all in the same China, a compass needle appeared, which was made from an artificial magnet. As a rule, it was made in the form of a fish.
The history of the compass was continued in the XIV century. The baton was taken over by the Italian F. Gioia, who managed to significantly improve this device. In particular, he decided to put a magnetic needle on a vertical hairpin. This simple, at first glance, device helped to significantly improve the compass. In addition, a coil 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 pitching of the ship ceased to affect the compass. In the 17th century the compass was equipped with a rotating ruler, which helped to more accurately count the direction. In the XVIII century. he got a direction finder.
But the history of the compass does not end there. In 1838 a way was foundneutralization of the influence of the ship's iron products on this device. And in 1908, a gyrocompass appeared, which became the main navigational instrument. It is he who always points to the north. Today, the exact direction of movement can be found using satellite navigation, however, many ships are equipped with magnetic compasses. They are used for additional verification or in case of technical problems. Thus, the history of the creation of the compass has not even hundreds, but thousands of years.
