WHAT IS A MAGNETIC COMPASS?

A compass containing a magnetic

needle pivoted in a horizontal plane,
it indicates the direction
of magnetic north at points on the
earth's surface.

FUNCTION OF A COMPASS
The magnetic compass is used for the purpose of
showing the direction toward
the Earth's magnetic poles from where the
compass is located.
A Magnetic compass is a critical piece of marine
navigational equipment.
Simply put, a magnetised needle, suspended
freely, points North because of the forces caused
by the Earths magnetic field. Once North is
known, the other directions are easily found.

DIFFERENT MAGNETIC
COMPASSES USED

DIFFERENT PARTS OF A MARINE

MAGNETIC COMPASS

Constructed of nonmagnetic materials.

Indexed card to read

direction.

Lubber line pins to

align compass with
boat.

Gimbal system to
keep card level when
boat heels and
pitches.

A gimbal is a pivoted support that

allows the rotation of an object about a
single axis independent of the rotation
of its support

Fluid filled damping

system to impede
rapid card movement.

Compensation system
to reduce deviation
error.

HOW A COMPASS WORKS

There is a huge magnetic field around the earth.
It is huge, but it is not very strong. The
magnetized needle in a compass is aligned with
this magnetic field.
As the image below shows, the composition of the
earth acts as a huge bar magnet sitting upside
down in the middle of the planet.

Since its South end is at the north pole and its

North end is at the south pole, the North end of a
compass needle is pulled north.
Your compass has to have a very light needle
sitting on a pivot that has almost no friction. This
is because the earth's magnetic field is weak and
would not be able to turn the needle

MAGNETIC COMPASS IN SHIPS

The marine magnetic compass at sea is mainly
used for steering a course. The compass reading
must be accurate, especially on long sea
passages, because a error of one or two degrees in
a long course can make a difference of thousands
of nautical miles in reaching your destination
after many days.
The compass is also used to take bearings of
terrestrial and celestial objects for navigation,
and errors must be minimised for this purpose.
The compass reading at sea must be therefore
corrected as accurately as possible.

ADVANTAGES OF MAGNETIC
COMPASSES
Little maintenance required
No power source required
Durability

DISADVANTAGES OF MAGNETIC
COMPASSES
Does not seek True North
Affected by surrounding materials.
Cannot be used near the poles

DIFFERENT ERRORS IN
SHIPS(CONTENTS)
Variation

Deviation

Variation: the angle between a magnetic line of force

and a geographic (true) meridian at any location on the
earth.
Causes:

Variation exists because the earths magnetic and

geographic poles are not co-located.
Magnetic anomalies in the earths crust also contribute to
variation.

Variation

changes from year to year as the

earths magnetic poles tend to wander.

True North Pole

Magnetic North Pole

Notice that the

two poles
arent
together. The
magnetic
compass points
to the
magnetic pole,
and this gives
us
VARIATION.

DEVIATION:
BOAT-SPECIFIC ERROR
Deviation is caused by the interaction of the ships metallic

structure and electrical systems with the earths magnetic field.

Due to on-board magnetic influences:
Magnetic items
Items to which magnets are attracted.
Wires carrying DC electrical current.

Reduce effects as much as possible:

Keep compass away from influences
Twist nearby DC wire pairs.

Usually cant eliminate them all.

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