The compass is a surprisingly ancient invention, despite the relative complexity of its design. Presumably, this mechanism was first created in ancient China in the 3rd century BC. Later it was borrowed by the Arabs, through whom this device came to Europe.
The history of the compass in ancient China
In the 3rd century BC, in an ancient Chinese treatise, a philosopher named Hen Fei-tzu described the device of the sonan device, which translates as "in charge of the south." It was a small spoon made of magnetite with a rather massive convex part, polished to a shine, and a thin small handle. The spoon was placed on a copper plate, also well polished so that there was no friction. In this case, the handle should not have touched the plate, it remained hanging in the air. The signs of the cardinal points were applied to the plate, which in ancient China were associated with the signs of the zodiac. The convex part of the spoon easily rotated on the plate if you pushed it a little. And the stalk in this case always pointed to the south.
Scientists believe that the shape of the magnet's arrow - a spoon - was not chosen by chance, it symbolized the Big Dipper, or "Heavenly Bucket", as the ancient Chinese called this constellation. This device did not work very well, since it was impossible to polish the plate and spoon to the ideal state, and friction caused errors. In addition, it was difficult to manufacture, since magnetite is difficult to process, it is a very fragile material.
In the 11th century in China, several versions of the compass were created: floating in the form of an iron fish in a vessel with water, a magnetized needle on a hairpin, and others.
Further history of the compass
In the XII century, the Arabs borrowed the Chinese floating compass, although some researchers are inclined to believe that the Arabs were the authors of this invention. In the XIII century, the compass came to Europe: first to Italy, after which it appeared among the Spaniards, Portuguese, French - those nations that were distinguished by developed navigation. This medieval compass looked like a magnetic needle attached to a cork and lowered into the water.
In the XIV century, the Italian inventor Joya created a more accurate compass design: the arrow was put on a hairpin in an upright position, a coil with sixteen points was attached to it. In the 17th century, the number of points increased, and so that the rolling on the ship did not affect the accuracy of the compass, a gimbal was installed.
The compass turned out to be the only navigation device that allowed European mariners to navigate the high seas and set off on long journeys. This was the impetus for the great geographical discoveries. This device also played a role in the development of ideas about the magnetic field, about its relationship with the electric, which led to the formation of modern physics.
Later, new types of compass appeared - electromagnetic, gyrocompass, electronic.
