Direction Sense Through Direction Compass

Direction is a path on which someone or something moves. This is a set course which tells us where the object or people is. “Where are you?” This question actually tries to know the location where you are. You can be heading towards any definite direction. Now directions have some specific names.

Now, what are those names?

North, East, West, and South - they are all directions. Also, they have a great significance in our real lives like when going to a new place, your parents use a GPS to determine which path they need to follow to reach their destination.

Although here we talked about a mobile device, we have something called a directional compass. It is also used for gaining direction sense. But what is the use of this device when mobile comes in handy, and who uses it at present? We will look into these questions on our page.

What Is the Use of Direction Sense?

A direction compass shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. Now, let us understand how to read a direction compass.

There are four directions in the compass: north, south, east, and west. Around the whole compass, there are few measurements.

The most important part of the compass is the needle that swings around the compass as you move, but the red end always points in the direction of north, and the white (or sometimes black/blue) end always points in the direction of south. There's also an arrow on the housing, which is known as the ‘orientation arrow’ and an arrow on the baseplate called the ‘direction of travel arrow’. Why is it called a direction of travel arrow? Well, the direction of the destination is indicated by it on the compass.

Read the following to know how you can use a direction compass.

Components of the Direction Compass

1. Place the compass flat on an even place or even your palm, with the direction of travel arrow pointing towards where you want to travel as you can see in the image below:

A Compass Placed on the Palm of a Hand

2. Now, twist your compass dial in a manner that the orienting arrow lines up with the red end of the magnetic needle like you see in the image below:

A Hand Holding a Compass

3. Please note that the direction of the travel arrow should line up with your ‘bearing’ (Here, the bearing is the angle you want to walk in) – now you can begin your journey by following this arrow.

4. If you feel like you’re going off your path, again try to line up your orienting arrow with the needle until you are on track.

Hence, after you get on track, you will always notice that your direction of the travel arrow will point to where you want to go (also, never forget to keep your compass dial in the same position for sure).

What Is the Use of a Direction Compass?

The uses of direction compass can be justified from the following:

1. The direction compass helps in determining the direction which is relative towards the magnetic pole of the earth.

2. This direction compass helps the travellers to find the correct route.

3. It is a must carry item for the wanderers and adventurers, who go on adventures in seas and in forest.

4. This is a safe device for those sailing in the sea, they know where their ship is heading with the help of the direction compass.

Conclusion

Thus, you can see that the direction compass has a great significance in building direction sense, especially in places, where you cannot use a GPS tracker. Kids can learn about the poles and other combined directions like northeast or southwest. Also, the direction compass has greatly improved navigation and ensures the safety and efficiency of travel.