Compass

INTRODUCTION

Compass is an instrument used for navigation today. Actually at the beginning of the history of compass, it was not used for navigation. The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination, as one of the “Four Great Inventions”, in about 206 BC.

ORIGINAL DESIGN

The Ancient Chinese compass was made by iron oxide which is also know as lodestone or magneta. It is a naturally magnetized ore of iron. Depends on the shape, this material can automatically point to the south. People carved lodestone as the shape of spoon and then placed it in the centre of a flat square plate made by bronze. In that way, the spoon would spin till it stopped in a north-to-south orientation with the handle pointing the south. The bronze plate is called "heaven-plate" or diviner's board. It had the eight trigrams (PaGua) of the I Ching, as well as the 24 directions based on the constellations, and the 28 lunar mansions. The square symbolized earth and the circular disc in the centre symbolized heaven. 

USE OF COMPASS

It’s original use of compass is divination which in Chinese called Feng Shui (literally means wind and water). It was used to determine the best and fittest location for construction and time for burial or marriage. During Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1126), compass was first time used for navigation. Ancient Chinese then was able to find their way home. It was really a big improvement. People now overcame the weather problems on the sea. They would no longer need to worry about the sky was overcast or foggy days what made them hard to see stars because the compass would always pointed the south. 

IMPACT BEYOND CHINA

In the early 13th century, there was record of magnetic compass appeared in western countries. It had been developed enough to use a pin to fix the needle in a little box and covered by a peace of glass. It was much more convenient that enabled mariners to navigate safely and easily far from land. The spread of the use of compass increased sea trade, and started the Age of Discovery. In Medieval Europe, compass helped to increase the duration of sailing season, from normally 6 months to entire years. Meanwhile, it also increase the traffic between the mediterranean and northern Europe what helped economy. Moreover, there was evidences showing that Indian started to use Chinese original compass fourth century AD and compass also reached eastern Africa by Silk Road.

LATER DEVELOPMENT

Later, more and more types of compass were developed, such as dry compass, bearing compass, sun compass and then thumb compass, gyrocompass, solid state compass, GPS receiver using as a compass. Today you can even “keep” a compass in your mobile phone, isn't it amazing?