Instruction
To locate the cardinal directions on the electronic , try rotating it. If the map does not rotate, but is fixed in one position, you can safely conclude that north, south is below, east is on the right, but on the left. If necessary, define the minor cardinal directions: northeast in the upper right corner of the screen, southeast in the right, northwest in the upper left and southwest in the lower left corner, respectively.
If the electronic map rotates (for example, on navigators, the map moves according to movement), carefully inspect the screen. In one of the corners, for example, in the upper right (as in the example), there will be an indication of the direction of the cardinal points in the form of a long two-color rhombus. Remember, north is always red. Accordingly, find the rest of the cardinal directions, for this, rotate the map so that the north is on top. In this case, the south will be at the bottom, the east on the right, and the west on the left.
To identify a paper map, rotate it so that you can read the labels. At the same time, make sure that the inscriptions go from west to east, and the top of the letters and numbers is at the top. Now you can safely say that north is up, south is down, west is on the left, and east is on the right.
Another way to determine the cardinal directions on a paper map: look around the entire perimeter of the map and find a four-pointed star somewhere in the corner. Each side has letters: C or N (north), Yu or S (south), Z or W (west), B or E (east). Determine the cardinal direction according to these directions.
If it comes to an old handwritten map, keep in mind that cartographers used to orient themselves to the south. To determine the cardinal points on such a map, it is necessary to find the star designation indicating the English letters S, N, W, E, which corresponds to the first letters of the cardinal names in English - South (south), North (north), West (west), East (East). If there are no symbols, find the described land area on a modern map and check the direction of the cardinal points.
Touching on the topic of travel, one cannot help but recall the cardinal points. There are only four of them, as in any country around the world - north, south, west, east. But since English has long been recognized as an international language, you can often find cardinal points in English. Take even a compass, it has Latin symbols that indicate one of the four sides.
South, north, west and east in history
South and north are usually determined by the poles of our planet Earth, and west and east, which relate to the rotation of the Earth, are determined by sunset or sunrise. Since ancient times, man has learned to determine the direction of the world by sunrise - east, the sun at its zenith - south, sunset occurs in the west, and north was determined by finding the North Star in the sky. On the current maps there are conventions regarding the cardinal points. North is usually located at the top, south - at the bottom, east - on the right, west, respectively, on the left. Several centuries ago, south or east on the map could be found from above.
A person also has to navigate in space, relying on four sides - in front, behind, left, right. But in this case, the directions do not matter, since the person names the side relative to himself. Man's four-way orientation has been important throughout his evolution. Hence the various symbols in religion - the cross, as well as in various ceremonies of different peoples. Next, I will talk about the designation of the cardinal points in English.
But in addition to the main four cardinal directions, additional directions are used. They were introduced to divide intermediate directions, for example, the area between north and east was called northeast. Thus, the direction began to be indicated more accurately. More precise directions were also used, for example, south-south-west. And sometimes such accuracy was brought up to 16 times.
Designations of cardinal points in English
Today in English there are several options for the names of the cardinal points: cardinal direction, compass points, cardinal points. On watches, maps and compasses, the cardinal directions are indicated in English letters: E, W, N, S. They are the first characters in the names of the sides:
There are also names to designate the regions of the east: The Near East - the Middle East, The Middle East - the Middle East, The Far East - the Far East. Slightly less commonly, the east is called Oriental or Orient by Americans. It is mostly found in ancient literature. The phrase "Wild West" also has its own name in English - Wild West. It is customary to pronounce it without the article The, which is used with all nouns in a certain form.
Cardinal directions as an adjective
In Russian, in order to say what kind of wind is blowing now, they use part of the world already as an adjective - southern. To denote an adjective in English, the suffix - ern is also used. So the adjective western would be Western. But in English you can say the south wind in another way: South wind. And the southwest wind will be - South-West Wind. Such a compound adjective can be written in different ways (South West Wind), there will be no mistake if you do not put a hyphen.
From this a logical question arises - how to write the adjective of directions correctly, with or without a suffix? One point is important here - the suffix ern is more often used to denote large tracts of land or territories. In other cases, you can write without a suffix. According to the rules of the English language, the definite article The is used only for stable geographical names - The Near East (Middle East), The North Pole (North Pole), The South Pole - (South Pole), The Far East - (Middle East). In other cases, you can do without the article.
Determining the cardinal points with a compass
What is a compass, even children know. But not everyone knows how it works. It consists of a magnetized hand and a dial or limb, on which the letters indicating the cardinal directions are applied. The arrow, with the correct location of the device, is always parallel to the magnetic pole of the earth. The limb has a special 360-degree scale, divided into four even sectors.
Each side of the world is located at its own degree - south at 180 degrees, north at 0 degrees, west at 270 and east at 90 degrees.
In order for the compass to show correctly, you must follow some rules:
- it must be placed on a horizontal surface;
- there should not be other magnets, magnetic devices or other compasses nearby;
- when these conditions are met, you need to release the arrow from the brake (or arrester);
- after a while the arrow will calm down, pointing towards the north;
- after that, you need to rotate the compass so that the north side of the arrow and the north (letter N) on the dial are located on the same plane. Now you can navigate the terrain, the cardinal points in English.
, West East).
Directions north and south are determined by the poles of the Earth, and east and west (associated with the rotation of the planet around its axis) - by the visible sunrise and sunset of heavenly bodies. Since ancient times, man has determined the approximate southern direction - by the position of the sun at its zenith, the eastern - by the place of its rising, and the western - by the place of sunset; the northern direction (in the Northern Hemisphere) was determined by the Polar Star. On modern geographical maps, the north side is usually at the top: in this case, the south is at the bottom, the west is on the left, and the east is on the right. On ancient, and sometimes even modern maps, they could have at the top south or east. On star maps, east and west are reversed [ ] : the card is "seen" as located not under, a above observer.
When orienting a person in space, the principle of four sides is also used: “in front”, “behind”, “left”, “right”. In this case, the directions are not fixed and are already chosen relative to the person himself.
The principle of quadrupleness is reflected in folklore, customs, religious rites of many peoples, including Slavic ones:
- "go to all four sides";
- Tripolye four-part altars were precisely oriented with their four crosses to the cardinal points, even if this direction diverged from the orientation of the walls of the house, etc.
In addition to dividing the circle into four directions - north, south, west, east - as the orientation tasks developed, additional partitions were introduced with intermediate directions: northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast; There are eight directions in total. Later, the following intermediate divisions were introduced: north-northwest, west-northwest, etc., bringing the number of directions to 16. After another division into intermediate directions, this process ended with the introduction of 32 points.
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Colors symbolizing the cardinal points
The traditional color of the south pole of the magnet and the magnetic needle of the compass is red, and the north is blue. Red is traditionally associated with warmth and blue with cold. In the Assyrian calendar, the north was called the Black Country, the south - Red, the east - Green, and the west - White. Accordingly, the city gates in ancient China were painted.
Symbol
To designate cardinal points, 4 Latin letters are often used: N, S, E, W, (which corresponds to the first letters of the names of cardinal points in English - North, South, East, West), or C, Yu, B, Z (which corresponds to the first letters of the names of the cardinal directions in Russian - North, South, East, West.
In addition, in the history of Russian maritime navigation for a long time, the German names for the cardinal points - Nord, Suid, Ost, West (Nord, Zuid, Ost, West) were most often used and are still used to this day.
This is most likely due to the fact that in the Petrine era - the beginning of the 18th century, when the navy of the Russian Empire was being born, many terms in the Russian language came, as you know, from the Dutch language, and there the cardinal points have the following names, in many respects consonant with their kindred German: N -noord (north), O - oost (ost), Z - zuid (south), W - west (west)
Features of using a compass to determine the cardinal points on the ground, on a map, in an apartment. Instructions for installing and correctly working with the compass on Android and IPhone.
Our attention is attracted by appliances and the benefits of civilization. And only 2-3 centuries ago, people knew more about nature and were able to navigate the terrain, based on observations and signs.
Now it is difficult to imagine a traveler or a geologist without a compass in his hands. This device helps where satellite signals are not caught and there is no Internet.
However, the compass must be handled correctly, as well as being able to interpret its measurements.
How to do this - let's talk in more detail.
The designation of the cardinal directions in English on a compass with translation
the traveler holds a compass in his hand to determine the direction of his movementSince the compass is different, their scales have a different number of marked cardinal directions.
However, the mandatory set is 4 main ones:
- N (North)
- S (South) - south
- E (East)
- W (West) - west
Or the scale shows the cardinal points in the letters of the Russian alphabet, namely the first of the words.
Where are the red and blue compass needles pointing?
red compass needle points north We are used to the fact that the North Pole is located at the top of the globe, to which the blue arrow of the compass points, and the South Pole at the bottom. And the red one strives for it.
However, based on the laws of physics, it turns out the opposite. In fact, the blue arrow indicates the location of the South Pole, and the red one indicates the North. Because bodies with the same charge repel rather than attract.
Also keep in mind that the North Pole, which is familiar to us, drifts and changes its location not symmetrically to the South. Because the red compass needle really distorts the direction of this part of the world a little.
What is the azimuth in a compass and how to determine it?
the compass is adjusted before determining the bearing The angle formed between the north direction and the object is called the azimuth.
The angle is measured clockwise.
There are 2 ways to determine the azimuth:
- approximate, or by eye
- accurate - with the help of a protractor
In the second case, the arrow pointing north is the "0" mark on the protractor.
How to use a compass in the forest, on the ground?
the compass lies on the grass before determining the cardinal points and orientation on the ground First, check the compass is working:
- put it on a flat horizontal surface and wait for the arrow to stop
- fix its position
- bring any metal object and release the latch
- the needle should oscillate
- quickly remove the object
- if the arrow returned to its original value before the lock was removed, the compass is working
Before entering the forest, determine your direction of movement. Consider its opposite value when turning in the opposite direction.
- Attach to a large object in the area. For example, a river, power lines, a wide clearing, roads and paths. Remember that any magnetic sources must be outside the compass, otherwise its readings will be incorrect.
- Determine the bearing of this object.
- Take it into account when moving in the direction you need.
- Ideal if you have a notepad handy. Keep a record of the number of steps after each turn.
How to use a compass in an apartment?
one of the compass models - for distributing the space of a house / apartment Proceed in steps:
- study your compass, the features of its operation, check it for serviceability
- select a reference point, for example, is it a door or a window
- determine its location, being in the middle of the room
- while holding the compass strictly horizontally, for example, on a book
- lean against the wall so that a right angle forms between them
- the height of the compass in this case is at the level of your waist
- triple check your measurements and choose the average
- keep in mind that household appliances, furniture, metal objects in the apartment create a background for the compass to work correctly
- tolerances for verification measurements are 10-15%
Sometimes, in order to reduce the influence of power lines and home appliances, ha compass, cardinal points are measured at a distance from the house / apartment.
How to determine your location using a compass and a map?
compass and pencil on the map - If both of these items are in your hands, then first open the card and examine it carefully.
- Find the objects marked on it in the area around you.
- Rotate the map so that they match in location relative to you.
There are several ways to determine your location on the map:
- for nearby facilities
- distant
- direction of movement along the road, path, clearing
When you have completed this step, place the card on the ground.
- Place a compass on top.
- Remove it from the latch.
- Turn your face to the north, the blue arrow of the device will point to it.
- Next, consult the map and the point that you have chosen as a landmark or your current location.
- Fix the direction of your movement.
How to plot a route on a map using a compass?
compass and ruler lie on the map to determine the location How to download and use the compass on iPhone correctly?
The iPhone lies on the railing with the "compass" program open next to the usual compass Often the compass is already installed on the iPhone among special applications. If it is not there, look in the AppStore and write "compass" in the search bar.
Choose from the drop-down list the application that you like. Or focus on the number of downloads, that is, the level of popularity of the utility.
After installing the compass application on your iPhone, to check its operation, proceed as follows:
- calibrate it. Launch the app and rotate in the air with one hand, as if drawing an infinity sign. This feature is available for iOS7. In other cases, the setting is different.
- A compass scale and an arrow pointing to the magnetic north pole will appear on the screen.
- If information about the geographic pole is important to you, go to Settings - Compass and check the box Apply True North.
- The white arrow outside the compass dial shows you the direction you are looking at at the current time. Adjust your position so that both arrows are facing north.
- Touch the screen once.
- Now, when moving, you will see a red moving zone. It shows your deviation from the fixed route. To remove it, touch the screen again.
- Combine compass data with maps. Run them. In the compass app, you will find numbers with the coordinates of your current location at the bottom of the screen. Double-tap them for extended help about your location.
How to download and correctly use the compass on Android?
several Android smartphones with a compass installed and working To download the compass app, go to the Play Market.
- In the search bar, enter "compass" and select the application you are looking for to install. Or any that has a higher percentage of popularity and downloads.
- After downloading the application, open it and calibrate the compass. You will see a hint on your phone how to do it.
- Then study the menu and features of the application and use it as needed. Consider all the nuances discussed in the previous sections.
So, we have considered the features of the correct work with the compass as a separate device and an application for a smartphone. We learned to navigate the terrain and determine the cardinal points in the forest, apartment.
Although our age of technology makes it possible to use GPS navigators almost everywhere, however, Internet coverage has a limited range of action.
Video: how to use a compass on the ground?
Determination by magnetic compass
Compass Alternative
Orientation by the stars
natural landmarks
Everything happens in life. Nobody is immune from this. In some extreme situations, the ability to determine your own position in space, which begins with determining the cardinal points, may come in handy.
North, south, west, east - the location of this "four" does not change. They are the backbone of your movement. The main thing is to correctly determine where each of them is located. There are many fairly simple and understandable ways to do this: the use of special tools, including home-made ones, orientation with the help of celestial bodies and natural objects. About all this further.
How to determine cardinal directions using a magnetic compass
To find out where this or that side of the world is located, a compass will help - a device with a magnetized needle pointing one side strictly to the north, the other - strictly to the south, which allows you to navigate the terrain. The compass responds to the constant magnetic fields of our planet.
Each device is marked with an azimuth graduation with the corresponding numbers from 0 to 360. North, south, west, east - the location on the compass of the cardinal points is indicated by the letters N (North), S (South), W (West), E (East). There are also Russian analogues: C, Yu, Z, V.
To navigate using a compass, you should put it on a flat surface, away from magnets or metal objects, wait until the arrow “calms down” - stops shaking or spinning and points north.
Compass Alternative
If the compass is not with you, it can be replaced with a pre-magnetized sewing needle. For this method, you need a bowl, a cup - a container of water, a little vegetable oil and a piece of floating material, the needle itself and something for magnetization - for example, scissors. Quickly clicking them, we create a magnetic field in a metal object, and then, by friction, we transfer it to the needle. The needle acquires the properties of a compass needle - it shows the south-north axis. For the purity of the readings, it must be lubricated with vegetable oil (or simply stuck into the floating material) and put into the water. When the desired direction is found, the “device” stops moving.
The disadvantage of this method is that the needle shows the desired line, but does not show which side of the world is, so it should be used only in combination, or at home, to check how accurately and well it works.
North, south, west, east - location on the map
Previously, travelers and sailors used ordinary paper maps, not always accurate, but quite tolerable for the simplest orientation. This type is still in use today. In order to determine the cardinal direction on them, it is enough just to turn the map so that it becomes possible to read the inscriptions (they should be located from west to east) or look somewhere on the map for a pointed star marked N-S-W-E, indicating direction.
We live in the age of advanced technologies, we use electronic maps that accurately display cities (streets, squares), but are not always useful in open areas.
Electronic counterparts of paper media do not always contain a "star compass", but look for a two-color diamond, on which north is indicated in red. Rotate the image accordingly (north should be at the top) - you're done, you've decided.
What to do if there is no map and compass at hand
Unfortunately, a map and a compass are not always at hand at the right time, which will accurately help determine the location relative to the cardinal points. But there are also less accurate methods: by the sun, moon, stars, natural landmarks.
Orientation by the stars
There are several celestial landmarks. One is used by the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere, the second - by the Southern.
The North Star is suitable as a beacon only for those who are in the Northern Hemisphere, and then, on a clear night. Nonetheless. The North Star is the brightest, but if all of them are bright for you, let's go from the other side. Find the constellation Ursa Major - the Big Dipper. Set aside five times in the sky the distance between the extreme stars of the Bucket in the direction of Ursa Minor. If everything is done correctly, you will point to the extreme star in the tail of the constellation - the North Star. Mentally draw a path from it to the ground, which will be your North.
The constellation of the Southern Cross performs the same function in the hemisphere of the same name, but points to the south. It consists of four bright stars, the arrangement resembling a cross. To more accurately determine the direction, they use "pointer stars" - two stars to the left of the Cross. Imaginary lines should be drawn from them and from the Southern Cross - the intersection will be south.
How to determine the cardinal points of the sun
This is easiest to do at noon on a sunny day when the Sun is at its highest position (objects cast the shortest shadows). Stand with your back to the heavenly body - the shadow you cast will point in the Northern Hemisphere - to the North, in the Southern - to the South. Options are possible in the equator region: from September 23 to March 21, it is directed to the north, the rest of the time - to the south. In the Arctic, the northern part of the sky is brighter even at night.
At the place of a halt, you can build an analogue of a compass - a solar one. To do this, drive a peg or stick into the ground, marking the place where the shadow falls. After some time, the angle of fall will change - the place of fall will also change. Mark the next point. Now draw a straight line through them - you get the West-East axis. The sun always and everywhere moves in the westerly direction, so it will not be difficult to determine these two cardinal directions. Next, we lower the perpendicular to the resulting line - here are our North and South.
You can use the clock. Place them horizontally, turn clockwise towards the sun. At about 13.00, the Sun is in the south, so divide the angle between the location of the clock hand and the number 1 on the dial - the resulting point will indicate the south direction, after which it will be easy to determine the rest.
Determining the cardinal directions by the moon
There are several options for determining the cardinal points using the moon. One of them is similar to the method using the Sun, but it is more complicated, so we offer an easier method. You will need a watch and basic knowledge of astronomy.
The moon has 4 main phases: full moon, first quarter, new moon and last quarter. What a full moon looks like and so clear. In the first quarter, the Moon begins to decrease - the visible part is on the right. Then comes the new moon - a period when the celestial body is poorly visible. In the last quarter, the Moon begins to rise again, while its visible part is located on the left.
In the first quarter, the Moon is at 19.00 in the south, at 1.00 in the west. During the full moon at 19:00, look for it in the east, at 1:00 - in the south, and at 7:00 - in the west. In the last quarter at 1.00 the Moon points to the east, at 7.00 - to the south.
natural landmarks
This method is considered the most unreliable, because in theory and on paper everything is very beautiful and clear, but in practice there are difficulties - ambiguous signs or a combination of other factors can affect the accuracy of the guide.
Moss and lichen. They usually grow in the part of a tree, stone, stump, etc., pointing to the north. However, the growth of these plants also depends on the availability of water sources, shading, winds and other things.
Mushrooms also grow on the northern part of the trees, but are almost never found on the southern.
Oaks and pines grow in the mountainous regions to the south, spruces, beeches and fir trees grow in the northern direction (still understand them all).
In the heat, pine and spruce release more resin on the south side.
The anthill is located to the south of the tree, and on the same side it is more gentle. Have you ever looked at an anthill? It is incredibly difficult to determine where it is more convex and where it is flat. And if we take into account the unevenness of the relief, which can affect its shape, the need for this is completely eliminated.
The bark of the trees is denser and rougher from the north.
Berries and fruits ripen faster and color on the south side.
In the forest, this sign is useless, but with a separate tree it can help - the crown of trees is denser from the south direction.
If you see a cut in front of you, pay attention to the width of the annual rings: from the north they are much thinner.
North, south, west, east - the location of the cardinal points can be found in many different ways. Some of them do not give a complete understanding of the picture and are good only at home, such as the experiment with a needle. And some can really come in handy in an emergency, because initially there were no maps and compasses, and people determined the cardinal points by the stars, the Sun and the Moon. Although these are not high-precision indicators, they are much more than nothing.
The classic combination of map and compass is used today not only by professional orienteering tourists, but also by ordinary people who are at least slightly familiar with these methods.
Nature can also help, but you should not rely completely on natural signs - it is fraught. It is better to use natural landmarks as an additional check.
Each of the proposed options has its pros and cons, the main thing is to correctly use the available opportunities, based on the conditions in which you find yourself. We hope the article was useful, but we also hope that you will not have to use such skills in a life-threatening situation.
