The history of the invention of the compass goes far into the past. The first description of the 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 markings of the signs of the zodiac were made. At the same time, the handle was on weight and could spin in a circle. The spoon was set in motion, and it always pointed south when it stopped. It was the very first compass in the world.
In the middle of the 11th century, a floating arrow was made from an artificial magnet in China. Most often it was in the form of a fish. She was lowered into the water where she swam. The head of the fish always pointed south. At the same time, a Chinese scientist Shen Gua came up with several versions of the compass. He magnetized a sewing needle and, using wax, attached it to a hanging silk thread. It was a more accurate compass, as the drag generated when turning was reduced. In another version, he proposed to put this needle on a hairpin. Based on his experiments, the inventor Shen Gua noticed that the arrow points south with a slight deviation. He was able to explain this by the difference between magnetic and geographic meridian. Later, scientists learned how to calculate this deviation for different parts 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 testimony.
In the XII century, the Arabs took advantage of the Chinese invention, and in the XIII century, 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, in order to protect it from the wind, they began to cover it with glass.
AT early XIV century, a magnetized arrow was installed on a circle of paper, and after a while the Italian Flavio Joya divided the circle into 16 parts, and then into 32 sectors. AT mid-sixteenth centuries, the arrow was fixed on a gimbal to reduce the effect of pitching, and a century later, the appearance of a rotating ruler was noted in the history of the compass, which increased the accuracy of the readings. The compass was the first navigational device for paving the way on the high seas. This allowed sailors to go on long voyages across the ocean.
According to historical data, the invention of the compass occurred during the reign of Chinese dynasty Song and was associated with the need to navigate in the desert. In the III century BC. the Chinese philosopher Hen Fei-tzu described the structure of the compass of his era as follows: it was a spherical, carefully polished in the convex part, pouring spoon, consisting of magnetite with a thin handle.
On a carefully polished copper or wooden plate, it was installed with its convex part so that the handle did not touch the plate, but was located freely above it. In this case, the spoon should rotate freely around the axis of its base.
The designations of the cardinal directions, representing the zodiacal signs, are applied to the plate. The spoon was brought into rotation by pushing the stalk of the leg. When the spoon stops, the handle, which acts as a magnetic needle, points exactly to the south.
Such was the device of the most ancient device that performs the functions of a compass. In the 11th century, a floating compass needle made of an artificial magnet appeared in China. Usually it was made in the form of a fish, which was lowered into a vessel with water. In the water, she swam freely, pointing her head towards the south. The Chinese were supplied with floating compasses. They were installed at the bow and stern, so that it was convenient for the captains to navigate the journey in any weather.
So the compass reached the Arabs in the XII century, and in early XIII century - before the Europeans. The first "floating needle" from the Arabs was adopted by Italian sailors, later by the Spaniards, Portuguese and French, and even later by the Germans and the British. Initially, the compass was a magnetized needle and a piece of wood floating in a vessel of water. Soon they began to cover the vessel in order to protect the mechanism from the effects of the wind. In the middle of the 16th century, a magnetic needle began to be placed on the tip in the middle of the circle.
The compass acquired a significantly improved look at the beginning of the 14th century thanks to the Italian Flavio Joya. He put a magnetic needle on a vertical hairpin, and the arrow 
attached to a light circle - a card, broken around the circumference into 16 points. And in the 16th century, a card and a box with an arrow were placed in a gimbals to avoid the influence of the ship's pitching on the compass readings.
Many are interested in where and when the first compass appeared. way this story I will try to sanctify this question in as much detail and detail as possible. So my story structure is as follows:
- reasons for creating a compass;
- place and time of the appearance of the compass;
- what the first compass looked like and who used it.
Reasons for creating a compass
People at all times needed the ability to navigate during their journey. Trade turnover, subsistence, the development of new territories, territorial seizures, etc. depended on knowledge of this kind. For a successful return home, some kind of landmark was needed that would not depend on either the weather or nature. It was with these goals that they came up with such an invention as a compass.
Place and time of the appearance of the compass
After the Song Dynasty, China ceased to be divided and began to rise significantly in economic, political, as well as social sectors. The empire began to develop powerfully. This information is important, since it was only in connection with this that China was compass invented. The fact is that a rich Chinese caravan with goods still had to travel a huge distance without getting lost. If it were not for the development of China, then no one would need to create a compass there, since it simply would not be needed. By at least, during this period of time.
What did the first compass look like and who used it
The first compass outwardly was like a spoon that spins freely on a saucer like a plate on which the cardinal points were marked.
The compass handle was slightly magnetized, and quite often it showed the territory in a southerly direction.
Some compasses could be presented to an official or even to the emperor. They were intricately carved the best craftsmen, decorated with jewels. It was art.
At first, such a compass was used only in the desert and other states, and then, over time, was transferred to maritime use, where it proved itself well and spread throughout the world.
To date, the compass can be downloaded to an android device, iPhone or computer.
The history of the creation of the first magnetic compass goes back centuries and still remains a mystery in many respects. Basically, only fragments of those stories reach us, with which the appearance of the first magnetic compass could be associated. The title of the country in which the first compass appeared is claimed by Greece, China and India, but even here everything is not so simple.
I propose to consider together the information that has come down to us thanks to the scrupulous work of historians, on the basis of which it will be possible to get an idea of where and when one of the first navigational instruments appeared, which to this day is very popular and is used by both sailors and lovers of traveling dry.
One of the "models" of ancient compasses, which still works quite well today.
Since the invention of the magnetic compass is closely connected with the discovery and study of magnetism, our further story will also consider this phenomenon in parallel.
The first Chinese compass
According to some researchers, the ancient Greeks discovered the phenomenon of magnetism for the first time. However, there is another point of view, giving the authorship of the discovery to the Chinese.
Scientists who prefer the "Chinese discovery" refer to a chronicle made in the third millennium BC, although it is assumed that the magnetic iron ore itself (aka magnetite) was discovered by the Chinese a millennium earlier.
In the annals cited by scientists, it is assumed that already chinese emperor Huangdi used a compass to navigate during his battle. However, according to another version, instead of a compass on his wagons, a device in the form of a chariot was used, on which a miniature figure of a man showed the direction to the south.
The reconstruction of such a chariot is shown in the photo below:
This chariot was mounted on vehicle and connected to its wheels in such a way that, thanks to the adjusted mechanism of gears, when the cart turned, the chariot began to rotate in opposite direction. Thus, the miniature figurine of a man on a chariot always invariably points to the south, regardless of the turn of the transport. In general, of course, this figurine would show in any other direction: it all depended on where it was initially directed. The chariot itself was not able to navigate to the cardinal points, as the needle of a magnetic compass does.
Interestingly, one of the first Chinese compasses, which was a spoon made of magnetic material and rotating on a smooth board, was not used for its intended purpose, but in magical rituals for predictions. Such a use of a magnet took place in the third millennium BC, although according to another version, the magnetic properties of a ferromagnet were used in ancient China already in the fourth millennium BC in the rites of Feng Shui, explaining magnetism as a manifestation of higher powers.
By the end of the second millennium BC, Chinese sailors were already fully using magnetic compasses for their intended purpose - to navigate the open sea.
First compass in India
Independently of China, magnetism was also discovered in India. This discovery was due to a mountain located near the Indus River. locals drew attention to the fact that this mountain was able to attract iron to itself.
The magnetic properties of the rock have found application in Indian medicine. So, Sushruta - an Indian doctor - used a magnet for surgical manipulations.
As in China, sailors in India learned to use the magnet. Their compass looked like a homemade fish with a head made of a material with magnetic properties.
Thus, the Indian fish and the Chinese spoon became the progenitors of the modern compass.
Compass and Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece, like the previous two countries, did not lag behind in scientific field. The Greeks, independently of other scientists, independently discovered and investigated the phenomenon of magnetism, and after that they created their first compass.
In the 7th-6th centuries BC, the ancient Greeks, namely Thales of Miletus, discovered that magnetite, known for several centuries, was able to attract iron.
This phenomenon was explained in different ways: someone believed that magnetite has a soul that reaches out to iron, someone - that iron has moisture, which in turn absorbs the magnet. But, as we understand, such explanations were still very far from the truth.
Later, Socrates discovered the phenomenon of magnetization of iron attracted to a magnet. And some time later, it was discovered that magnets can not only attract, but also repel.
It is thanks to the discovery of Socrates that not only compasses work today, but also great amount other appliances.
Thus, all the facets of magnetism were gradually revealed, which later made it possible to reveal its nature. But at this stage it was still too early to talk about something like a compass.
Further history
In the Middle Ages, nothing particularly new was discovered in terms of discovering new properties of magnetism and working with magnets. There were only new explanations for this phenomenon, mainly related to the same supernatural forces. So, for example, the monks explained the manifestation of magnetism, based on the doctrine of theology.
If we talk about Europe, then here the first mention of the compass is found in the writings of Alexander Neckam and dates back to 1187. Although, perhaps, the use of the compass here and in the Mediterranean began much earlier - as early as the second millennium BC, as evidenced by indirect indications ancient historians. It is assumed that the references to the compass have not been preserved, since the compass simply did not have its own name to fit it into a historical document.
Three centuries later, during their voyages famous sailor Christopher Columbus noticed that during sea travel the magnetic needle deviates from the north-south direction. This was how magnetic declination was discovered, the values of which are still used by sailors and are indicated on some maps.
At the suggestion of Lomonosov, observatories were created for the systematic study magnetic field Earth and its changes. However, this did not happen during the life of the great Russian scientist, but, as they say, "better late than never."
Later, Descartes and a number of other scientists developed a detailed scientific theory magnetism, and also the magnetic properties of other materials that are not related to ferromagnets - para- and diamagnets were discovered.
Some time later, points were found magnetic poles Earth, where the magnetic needle has an inclination equal to 90 °, that is, it is located perpendicular to the horizontal plane.
At the poles, the compass will only show if it is placed vertically.
In parallel with the study of magnets and the features of the manifestation of their magnetic field in different conditions there was an improvement in the design of magnetic compasses. In addition, other types of compasses have been invented that operate on principles other than magnetism. We talked about them in
Modern models of magnetic compasses are very different from their predecessors. They are more compact, lighter, allow you to work faster and give more accurate measurement results. In addition, such models are often equipped with auxiliary elements that expand the capabilities of the device when working with a map and on the ground.
Do not forget about compasses, whose work is not based on magnetic properties arrows. To date, there are many such compasses, which allows the user to choose the most convenient option for operating conditions.
As you can see, the history this moment cannot give a clear and unambiguous answer to the question of where it appeared and who invented the very first compass in the world. Let's hope that soon historians will be able to brush off the veil of antiquity hiding the facts and they will have more data in order to find out the country of the discoverers. And we can only wait, learn and use the knowledge that came from the past and is fully used by humanity on present stage development.
Gunpowder, typography, paper and a compass ... It is believed that these things were "four great Chinese inventions”, which influenced today's picture of the civilized world. It is ridiculous to deny the usefulness of a device capable of determining the cardinal points, but is a compass really needed now, when satellite communications, navigators, geo-targeting in every smartphone and general level technology development offer perfect ways solve the same problems? Maybe the place of the compass in the museum, next to the astrolabe and a model of an ancient galley?
This subject has been known to mankind for a very long time: the first mention of the compass dates back to the Chinese Song Dynasty (10-13 centuries AD), when vertical axis the arrow began to help navigate the desert.
The marine compass was first described in the 13th century, and since the Middle Ages it has been actively used by European shipbuilders in travel. Before learning how to use the Earth's magnetic attraction for their own purposes, the Chinese made the so-called "south-pointing chariots" - the most complex non-magnetic navigation instruments, whose operation was based on the principle feedback. With the invention of the compass, it became possible to quickly and easily understand which way to move.
How the compass works
origin modern name owes to the Old English word "compass", in XIII-XIV centuries meaning "circle". Even second graders today know that "the compass shows where the North is", but how does he do it?
The existence of the device is due to the presence of a magnetic field near the Earth, along the lines of force of which (parallel to them) the compass needle extends. This is facilitated by magnets located inside the device. Actually, the metal arrow is this magnet, with one side repelled and the other side attracted to the planet, like two small magnets in a children's game. Depending on the type of compass, the arrow can float in a liquid (a well-known trick with a needle and paper, in fact, a primitive navigation device), work with the help of frames with windings (like an electric generator) or gyroscopes.
Classical magnetic compass- This is a plastic or brass box of a rounded shape. In its center is a steel pin on which the arrow rotates (it is magnetized). A piece of agate or other material is usually mounted on it, which reduces friction between the pin and the arrow. The structure is closed with glass, and under the pointer-arrow there is a brake lever that fixes it motionlessly in the non-working position.
On the "dial", that is, the bottom of the box, there is a limb - markings with divisions from 0 to 360 ° (in increments of 5-15 °), horizon sides and diameters, perpendicular each friend. Traditionally, the arrow is painted in two colors: cold blue will point to the north, and red to the hot south, but there are arrows that are simply pointed or marked on one side. The cardinal directions are most often indicated with Latin letters: N - north, S - south, W - west and E - east.
Types of compasses
Often, small compasses are supplied with a strap so that they can be worn like a watch, and large ones are placed in a casing that protects the device from damage and moisture. Finding the location is simple: you need to release the brake, and the arrow, having stopped rotating, will indicate the direction. It is worth remembering about interference near power lines, webs railways etc.
In addition to the basic one, other types of the device are also known:
- Magnetic compasses. Tourist (for example, the once popular Andrianov compass is a classic example magnetic interactions), military, more accurately determining the azimuth. In them, in addition to the scale, there is also a ruler, sights, magnifying lenses.
- Geological, mountain compasses, Brunton compass. In them, the scale is located counterclockwise. The device is mounted on a rectangular plate (brass or plastic), used to determine the oblique angles of incidence of layers rock. In such compasses there is a semi-limb and a clinometer (plumb).
- Gyroscopic compasses. They work with the help of gyroscopes and show the direction not to the magnetic, but to the true pole of the Earth. Such devices are installed in sea vessels and airplanes, because they are resistant to shaking, rocking (pelorus is intended for the same purposes - a console for a compass, which is installed on it in a gimbal suspension);
- exotic options. An astronomical compass that determines the position by the stars, a compass is a geodetic variety for measuring angles when shooting on the ground, and others.
- Electronic modern modifications. They determine the coordinates through satellite navigation systems (at least three satellites are needed) and are equipped with many programs that turn the compass into a powerful multifunctional device.
Why do we need a compass in modern reality
The main property that distinguishes an ordinary magnetic compass from other devices and makes it indispensable even in our technological age is its absolute independence from any external sources nutrition. To determine the location, you do not need a battery or an electrical outlet, you can not be afraid that the satellite system will go out of service, the electronics will fail, and complex schemes will stop working.
We need a compass, first of all, where there is no communication, electricity and civilization: in distant hiking trips, travel to protected areas, little-studied or unfamiliar areas. In order not to depend on circumstances, athletes and tourists need only a compass and a map - and ordinary person, representing approximately where he is, and wanting to go to civilization, you can do without maps.
Modern compasses with GPS will also come in handy when traveling - it’s worth stocking up on both this and traditional varieties (if the batteries still run out on the electronic one), as well as a set of maps. In order to deal with electronic compass, you need to have the skill of such work, and it is better for unprepared people not to start getting to know him right on the campaign. For mountains, you should choose sports and climbing models that are offered by specialized stores. It is too early to write off this indispensable device to the "dump" of history - like any simple and brilliant invention, he is able to help out where complex schemes do not work.
