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compass
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magnetic compass needle compass magnetic compass compass A mariner's compass card showing a full circle of cardinal and intercardinal directions, with degree markings and labeled points radiating outward, used for navigation with a magnetic compass. compass: true north
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compass summary
Quizzes
Sextant. Celestial navigation at sea. Sailor using sextant. Travel and navigation.
Travel and Navigation
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magnetic compass
magnetic compass A magnetic compass lying on a nautical chart.

compass

navigational instrument
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

compass, in navigation or surveying, the primary device for direction-finding on the surface of the Earth. Compasses may operate on magnetic or gyroscopic principles or by determining the direction of the Sun or a star. The oldest and most familiar type of compass is the magnetic compass, which is used in different forms in aircraft, ships, and land vehicles and by surveyors. Sometime in the 12th century, mariners in China and Europe made the discovery,...

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