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The ancient Chinese invented many, many things - things we still use today. Their inventions include paper, silk, matches, gunpowder, porcelain, lacquer ware, fireworks, medicines, kites, tea, the umbrella, jump ropes, tangrams, dominoes, musical instruments, ink, the crossbow, decimals, the compass, tangrams, folding screens, and my personal favorite - ice cream!

What the ancient Chinese did not do was make many advances in labor saving devices. There were so many people in ancient China that they had no need of labor saving devices. They had lots of labor. So, there was no need for the development of factories. Instead, the ancient Chinese people concentrated on making handmade individual items.

Hear Ancient Chinese Musical Instruments

Interactive Abacus Game

Mahjong game (interactive)

Make your own paper
Acupuncture & Medicines Art - Performing Arts, Paper, Paintings, Statues Chinese Kites Calligraphy Folding Screens & Mahogany Furniture Chinese Lanterns Play Around with Decimals Ancient Inventions Ancient Chinese Stories
Ancient Chinese Hand Made Items

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The ancient Chinese invented many, many things - things we still use today. Their inventions include paper, silk, matches, gunpowder, porcelain, lacquer ware, fireworks, medicines, kites, tea, the umbrella, jump ropes, tangrams, dominoes, musical instruments, ink, the crossbow, decimals, the compass, tangrams, folding screens, and my personal favorite - ice cream!

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ANCIENT CHINESE INVENTIONS - ppt video online download

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THE COMPASS The Ancient Chinese compass was made in BC during the Qin dynasty. The Chinese compass was originally used for the construction of their fortune telling boards. Later, the Chinese used it to point out real directions. The Chinese compass was put on a square slab with markings of the cardinal points and the constellations.

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Did you know that February 10th is National Umbrella Day? These clever contraptions keep you dry whenever you need them. Let's see what interesting facts Mr. Orlando can tell us about umbrellas!

We're all used to using an umbrella to keep rain off our heads and that's because they're waterproof! But there's another type of umbrella that people use to keep themselves in the shade when the sun gets too hot. It's called a "parasol" - which comes from the words "parare" ("to shield") and "sol" ("sun") - and you see them a lot on beaches or being carried around on extremely hot and sunny summer days. Traditional parasols, unlike regular umbrellas, are not waterproof.

The first umbrellas gave shade to the people of Ancient Egypt over 4,000 years ago. However, the waterproof umbrellas we know today weren't popularly used until the 11th century BC in China, where they covered their thin paper umbrellas with wax and lacquer. Both cultures would spread the influence of umbrellas around the world, as trade merchants would impress the people of many nations by showing them off on their voyages.

While Brad was the first North American to patent the invention, the foldable umbrella was already quite common in Europe and had been for over 30 years. Slawa Horowitz, a student studying sculpture in Vienna, developed a prototype for an improved compact foldable umbrella back in 1929.

What goes into making an umbrellas has changed a lot over the years. The umbrellas of the 1800s used whale bones for manufacturing, but today we use aluminum and fiberglass. Modern nylon with water-resistant teflon coatings have also replaced the traditional materials (silk, leaves and feathers) to make the canopy.

For centuries Europeans considered the umbrella to be a feminine accessory, until 1750 when English gentlemen Jonas Hanway popularized the umbrella by bringing it with him wherever he went. While enduring some laughter at first, Hanway eventually broke the taboo of men using umbrellas. The English would adopt the term "Hanway" to refer to an umbrella.

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Did you know that February 10th is National Umbrella Day? These clever contraptions keep you dry whenever you need them. Let's see what interesting facts Mr. Orlando can tell us about umbrellas! We're all used to using an umbrella to keep rain off our heads and that's because they're waterproof!

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No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

One popular Chinese legend tells the story of a Chinese farmer who tied his hat to his head with a piece of string to keep it from blowing away. In a wind, the hat nevertheless managed to float off for a ways with the farmer trailing behind it holding the string. Thus, the legend says, the kite was born.

Modern historians have found evidence in the histories of Malaysia, Indonesia, Hawaii, Polynesia and New Zealand that indicates that kites may have been independently invented in these areas at about the same time they were first seen in China.

If we look solely at written history, though, Chinese philosopher Mo-tse was arguably the first person ever to build a kite. Mo-tse lived from approximately 468 B.C. to around 376 B.C.

Written records indicate that he created a kite in the shape of a bird over the course of three years and then flew it only one day. Based on these records, it's safe to say the kite has been around for at least 2,300 years!

The Chinese created a holiday - the Festival of on High - based on their love of kite flying. On the ninth day of the ninth month each year, the Chinese celebrate by flying kites.

Kites eventually made their way from Asia to the rest of the world. Marco Polo is given credit for bringing the kite to Europe after his trips to China.

Today, millions of people around the world, both young and old, fly kites just for the pure joy of it. But kites have served many purposes beyond entertainment .

In ancient China, General Han Hsin flew a kite over an enemy and used the length of the kite string to how far his soldiers would need to tunnel to get inside.

Hundreds of years later, scientists used kites as tools for experimentation. Alexander Wilson used kites to lift thermometers high into the atmosphere to measure temperatures.

Of course, the most famous scientific experiment involving a kite has to be Ben Franklin's legendary use of a kite and a metal key to study lightning during a thunderstorm.

Kites still serve important purposes today. In addition to being a favorite toy of children around the world, kites are used by fishermen to lay bait. They are also used by photographers to take pictures with a bird's-eye view.

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No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

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Ancient Chinese Kites for Kids - Ancient China for Kids

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By Tang times, kites had become popular for use by everyone for pleasure. They were made of silk and bamboo. They were designed to act like birds in the air with wings and color, especially the color red, which meant good luck. Some had whistles attached or strings that could be spun to make harmonious sounds.

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A kite is an object that flies by opposing the force of the wind with the tension of a string held by the operator. Kite flying is the hobby of flying kites. Those flown by American children are often shaped like a geometric kite. Kite flying is very popular in China， Japan, India, and many other countries. In some countries 'kite fights' are held, in which many people gather and fly kites and try to snag each other's kites or cut the other kite down.

Kite flying traces its roots back to early China, and the development of paper. Chinese kite designs particularly tend to ecopy flying insects, birds, and other beasts, real and mythical. The finest modern Chinese kites are made from split bamboo (usually golden bamboo), covered with silk and hand painted to form an overall artistic statement within a tradition of long standing.

For larger kites, clever hinges and latches allow the kite to be disassembled and compactly folded for storage or transport. Lower cost kites in quantity production may be made from printed polyester, which will have longer useful life if frequently flown.

Technology

Kite flying depends on lightweight, but strong twine. It also depends on the ability to produce paper or tightly woven cloth. Kites typically consist a one or more spars (sticks), that hold a sail of fabric taut. Classic kites use bamboo, rattan or other strong but flexible wood for the spars, and paper or light fabrics such as silk for the sails. Modern kites are made with synthetic materials: nylon or more exotic fabrics for the sails, and fiberglass or carbon fiber spars.

Kites are designed with different shapes, forms and sizes, from historic flat geometric designs, through box kites and other aerodynamic forms, to modern inflatable designs.

Modern acrobatic kites use more than one line to allow fine control in the kite's angle to the wind, in recent years, multi-line kite flying has developed into a sport, with competitions for precision flying and artistic interpretation of music.

Kite festivals are held where kites from around the world are displayed in the sky.

Practical & cultural uses

Kites have been used militarily in the past, both for observation by lifting an observer above the field of battle, and for delivery of munitions. They have also been used for scientific purposes, for example Benjamin Franklin's famous (but very dangerous) electrical experiment. Kites are the precursors to aircraft, and were instrumental in the development of early flying craft. Alexander Graham Bell experimented with very large man-carrying kites.

The Indian festival of Makar Sankranti is purely devoted to kite flying. This spring festival is celebrated on 14 January ( 15 January on leap years) with millions flying kites all over India. The festival is a public holiday in the state of Gujarat.

Types of Kites

Kites are also used in kite aerial photography.

Images for kids

Woodcut print of a kite from John Bate's 1635 book The Mysteries of Nature and Art in which the kite is titled How to make fire Drakes

Kite maker from India, image from Travels in India, including Sinde and the Punjab by H. E. Lloyd, 1845

A man flying a kite on the beach, a good location for flying as winds travelling across the sea contain few up or down draughts which cause kites to fly erratically

Making a traditional Wau jala budi kite in Malaysia. The bamboo frame is covered with plain paper and then decorated with multiple layers of shaped paper and foil.

In Spanish: Cometa (juguete) para niños

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The Chinese have been credited with creating an abundance of inventions and most scholars are unanimous about the fact that the very first kites also soared to the skies in the Middle Kingdom.

According to stories passed down across the generations, the inspiration for kites dates back almost 2,500 years to a philosopher named Mo Di, also known as Mozi (468-376 BCE), who lived on Mount Lu near Weifang in China's Shandong Province.

After spending three years creating a wooden bird in the shape of an eagle, he succeeded in keeping it airborne for one entire day before it broke. Later, Mo Di passed his skills on to his pupil Lu Ban, who came up with the idea of using the lighter bamboo, managing to keep the kite in the air for three whole days.

Birth of the 'wind zither'

Initially, there were a multitude of reasons for flying kites. One of them was undoubtedly man's desire to challenge his limits and fly to the heavens. Kites were also used as weather vanes to indicate the direction of the wind, and as a military tool.

After the invention of paper making in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE), paper was used for kite making. By 100 CE, kite flying had become a popular pass-time among the general population.

The earliest kites were called muyuan, meaning "wood kite", but after paper became a common material for building kites the name was changed to zhiyuan, "paper kite". Today, the most common name used to refer to this flying apparatus in Chinese is feng zheng.

Feng means "wind" and zheng is a traditional, wooden string instrument similar to the zither. The name is derived from the fact that at some point, people started attaching thin strips of bamboo to the kites, which, once caught in a gust of wind, gave out a sound that was reminiscent of the zheng instrument.

The art of kite-making

The city of Weifang is considered the manufacturing and flying centre of the kite world-hence the nickname "World Kite Capital". Every year at the end of April, the city plays host to the Weifang International Kite Festival, which gathers together kite enthusiasts from all over the world.

The manufacture of kites started in the city during the 8th century BCE, but it wasn't until the 18th century that it entered its golden era. Two kites named were offered to the ruler of the Qing Dynasty as gifts and received praise and compliments from the court.

Kite-making is considered an art form and artistic expression is of importance when building Chinese kites. The themes depicted and the spiritual messages enclosed in the kite decorations play as big a role in kite-building as their shape and flying qualities.

Chinese kites maintain rich cultural connotations, with designs featuring Chinese characters such as "happiness", "longevity" and "good luck".

Birds and insects to historical figures

In the Weifang region, the kites that have received the most attention and praise are those built by the artisans of the Yangjiabu district. The local kite makers originated the idea of gluing paper prints of Chinese New Year decorations onto bamboo frames, which sped up production as well as the flow of merchandise.

Nowadays, kites are made out of paper and silk, and the most beautiful and expensive ones are naturally hand-painted. Kites are often three-dimensional, and their motifs vary from birds and insects to figures from traditional folk tales and historical persons.

The smaller kites may only be the size of a matchbox, and the biggest ones may be hundreds of metres long. Weifang's famous dragon kites are made of a chain of bamboo and silk "joints", and flying one of them demands a lot of skill and practice.

Weifang International Kite Festival

The Weifang International Kite Festival has been organised every year since 1984 and attracts kite enthusiasts from about two dozen countries.

Its opening ceremony has been described as the opening of the "Kite Olympics" due to the abundance of music and dance performances, as well as colourful parades.

Tens of thousands of spectators watch the performances and the atmosphere is charged with the anticipation of a significant athletic and artistic event.

An international kite-flying competition, a showcase of the latest innovations in kite design and several workshops are organised during the three-day festival.

Weifang is also the home of the world's largest kite museum, which boasts more than 2,000 examples from around the world allowing you to fly through the history of kites.
Originally published on October 1, 2007

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The Chinese have been credited with creating an abundance of inventions and most scholars are unanimous about the fact that the very first kites also soared to the skies in the Middle Kingdom.

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Kites were first used about 2,800 years ago in China. In the past, kites were used in the military to make a signal and test the wind. Classic kites use bamboo for the spars and paper or silk for the sails.

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Ancient China for Kids: Inventions and Technology

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Kids learn about the inventions and technology of Ancient China to Europe such as paper, the compass, printing, and gunpowder.

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A compass is a device that indicates direction. It is one of the most important instruments for navigation.

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A compass is an instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic " cardinal directions", or "points". Usually, a diagram called a compass rose shows the directions north, south, east, and west on the compass face as abbreviated initials.

The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (since about 206 BC), and later adopted for navigation by the Song Dynasty Chinese during the 11th century. The first usage of a compass recorded in Western Europe and the Islamic world occurred around the early 13th century.

When the compass is used, the rose can be aligned with the corresponding geographic directions, so, for example, the "N" mark on the rose really points to the north. Frequently, in addition to the rose or sometimes instead of it, angle markings in degrees are shown on the compass. North corresponds to zero degrees, and the angles increase clockwise, so east is 90 degrees, south is 180, and west is 270. These numbers allow the compass to show azimuths or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation.

Magnetic compass

The magnetic compass is the most familiar compass type. It functions as a pointer to "magnetic north", the local magnetic meridian, because the magnetized needle at its heart aligns itself with the horizontal component of the Earth's magnetic field. The magnetic field exerts a torque on the needle, pulling the North end or pole of the needle approximately toward the Earth's North magnetic pole, and pulling the other toward the Earth's South magnetic pole. The needle is mounted on a low-friction pivot point, in better compasses a jewel bearing, so it can turn easily. When the compass is held level, the needle turns until, after a few seconds to allow oscillations to die out, it settles into its equilibrium orientation.

In navigation, directions on maps are usually expressed with reference to geographical or true north, the direction toward the Geographical North Pole, the rotation axis of the Earth. Depending on where the compass is located on the surface of the Earth the angle between true north and magnetic north, called magnetic declination can vary widely with geographic location. The local magnetic declination is given on most maps, to allow the map to be oriented with a compass parallel to true north. The location of the Earth's magnetic poles slowly change with time, which is referred to as geomagnetic secular variation. The effect of this means a map with the latest declination information should be used. Some magnetic compasses include means to manually compensate for the magnetic declination, so that the compass shows true directions.

The first compasses in ancient Han dynasty China were made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized ore of iron. The compass was later used for navigation during the Song Dynasty of the 11th century. Later compasses were made of iron needles, magnetized by striking them with a lodestone. Dry compasses began to appear around 1300 in Medieval Europe and the Islamic world. This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.

Modern compasses

Magnetic compass

Modern compasses usually use a magnetized needle or dial inside a capsule completely filled with a liquid (lamp oil, mineral oil, white spirits, purified kerosene, or ethyl alcohol is common). While older designs commonly incorporatedinside the capsule to allow for volume changes caused by temperature or altitude, some modern liquid compasses utilize smaller housings and/orGear Review: Kasper & Richter Alpin Compass, OceanMountainSky.Com</ref> The liquid inside the capsule serves to damp the movement of the needle, reducing oscillation time and increasing stability. Key points on the compass, including the north end of the needle are often marked with phosphorescent, photolcent, or self-luminous materials to enable the compass to be read at night or in poor light. As the compass fill liquid is noncompressible under pressure, many ordinary liquid-filled compasses will operate accurately underwater to considerable depths.

Many modern compasses incorporate a baseplate and protractor tool, and are referred to variously as " orienteering", "baseplate", "map compass" or "protractor" designs. This type of compass uses a separate magnetized needle inside a rotating capsule, an orienting "box" or gate for aligning the needle with magnetic north, a transparent base containing map orienting lines, and a bezel (outer dial) marked in degrees or other units of angular measurement. The capsule is mounted in a transparent baseplate containing a direction-of-travel (DOT) indicator for use in taking bearings directly from a map.

Other features found on modern orienteering compasses are map and romer scales for measuring distances and plotting positions on maps, luminous markings on the face or bezels, various sighting mechanisms (mirror, prism, etc.) for taking bearings of distant objects with greater precision, "global" needles for use in differing hemispheres, adjustable declination for obtaining instant true bearings without resorting to arithmetic, and devices such as inclinometers for measuring gradients. The sport of orienteering has also resulted in the development of models with extremely fast-settling and stable needles for optimal use with a topographic map, a land navigation technique known as terrain association.

The military forces of a few nations, notably the United States Army, continue to issue field compasses with magnetized compass dials or cards instead of needles. A magnetic card compass is usually equipped with an optical, lensatic, or prismatic sight, which allows the user to read the bearing or azimuth off the compass card while simultaneously aligning the compass with the objective (see photo). Magnetic card compass designs normally require a separate protractor tool in order to take bearings directly from a map.

The U.S. M-1950 military lensatic compass does not use a liquid-filled capsule as a damping mechanism, but rather electromagnetic induction to control oscillation of it magnetized card. A "deep-well" design is used to allow the compass to be used globally with a card tilt of up to 8 degrees without impairing accuracy. As induction forces provide less damping than fluid-filled designs, a needle lock is fitted to the compass to reduce wear, operated by the folding action of the rear sight/lens holder. The use of air-filled induction compasses has declined over the years, as they may become inoperative or inaccurate in freezing temperatures or extremely humid environments due to condensation or water ingress.

Some military compasses, like the U.S. M-1950 (Cammenga 3H) military lensatic compass, the Silva 4b Militaire, and the Suunto M-5N(T) contain the radioactive material tritium ( ₁H ³) and a combination of phosphors. The U.S. M-1950 equipped with self-luminous lighting contains 120 mCi (millicuries) of tritium. The purpose of the tritium and phosphors is to provide illumination for the compass, via radioluminescent tritium illumination, which does not require the compass to be "recharged" by sunlight or artificial light. However, tritium has a half-life of only about 12 years, so a compass that contains 120 mCi of tritium when new will contain only 60 when it is 12 years old, 30 when it is 24 years old, and so on. Consequently, the illumination of the display will fade.

Mariner's compasses can have two or more magnets permanently attached to a compass card, which moves freely on a pivot. A lubber line, which can be a marking on the compass bowl or a small fixed needle, indicates the ship's heading on the compass card. Traditionally the card is divided into thirty-two points (known as rhumbs), although modern compasses are marked in degrees rather than cardinal points. The glass-covered box (or bowl) contains a suspended gimbal within a binnacle. This preserves the horizontal position.

Thumb compass

A thumb compass is a type of compass commonly used in orienteering, a sport in which map reading and terrain association are paramount. Consequently, most thumb compasses have minimal or no degree markings at all, and are normally used only to orient the map to magnetic north. Thumb compasses are also often transparent so that an orienteer can hold a map in the hand with the compass and see the map through the compass.

Gyrocompass

A gyrocompass is similar to a gyroscope. It is a non-magnetic compass that finds true north by using an (electrically powered) fast-spinning wheel and friction forces in order to exploit the rotation of the Earth. Gyro compasses are widely used on ships. They have two main advantages over magnetic compasses:

they find true north, i.e., the direction of Earth's rotational axis, as opposed to magnetic north,

they are not affected by ferromagnetic metal (including iron, steel, cobalt, nickel, and various alloys) in a ship's hull. (No compass is affected by nonferromagnetic metal, although a magnetic compass will be affected by any kind of wires with electric current passing through them.)

Large ships typically rely on a gyrocompass, using the magnetic compass only as a backup. Increasingly, electronic fluxgate compasses are used on smaller vessels. However, magnetic compasses are still widely in use as they can be small, use simple reliable technology, are comparatively cheap, are often easier to use than GPS, require no energy supply, and unlike GPS, are not affected by objects, e.g. trees, that can block the reception of electronic signals.

Solid state compasses

Small compasses found in clocks, mobile phones, and other electronic devices are solid-state compasses, usually built out of two or three magnetic field sensors that provide data for a microprocessor. Often, the device is a discrete component which outputs either a digital or analog signal proportional to its orientation. This signal is interpreted by a controller or microprocessor and either used internally, or sent to a display unit. The sensor uses highly calibrated internal electronics to measure the response of the device to the Earth's magnetic field.

GPS receivers used as compasses

GPS receivers using two or more antennae mounted separately and blending the data with an inertial motion unit (IMU) can now achieve 0.02° in heading accuracy and have startup times in seconds rather than hours for gyrocompass systems. The devices accurately determine the positions (latitudes, longitudes and altitude) of the antennae on the Earth, from which the cardinal directions can be calculated. Manufactured primarily for maritime and aviation applications, they can also detect pitch and roll of ships. Small, portable GPS receivers with only a single antenna can also determine directions if they are being moved, even if only at walking pace. By accurately determining its position on the Earth at times a few seconds apart, the device can calculate its speed and the true bearing (relative to true north) of its direction of motion. Frequently, it is preferable to measure the direction in which a vehicle is actually moving, rather than its heading, i.e. the direction in which its nose is pointing. These directions may be different if there is a crosswind or tidal current.

GPS compasses share the main advantages of gyrocompasses. They determine true North, as opposed to magnetic North, and they are unaffected by perturbations of the Earth's magnetic field. Additionally, compared with gyrocompasses, they are much cheaper, they work better in polar regions, they are less prone to be affected by mechanical vibration, and they can be initialized far more quickly. However, they depend on the functioning of, and communication with, the GPS satellites, which might be disrupted by an electronic attack or by the effects of a severe solar storm. Gyrocompasses remain in use for military purposes (especially in submarines, where magnetic and GPS compasses are useless), but have been largely superseded by GPS compasses, with magnetic backups, in civilian contexts.

Specialty compasses

Apart from navigational compasses, other specialty compasses have also been designed to accommodate specific uses. These include:

Qibla compass, which is used by Muslims to show the direction to Mecca for prayers.

Optical or prismatic hand-bearing compass, most often used by surveyors, but also by cave explorers, foresters, and geologists. These compasses generally use a liquid-damped capsule and magnetized floating compass dial with an integral optical sight, often fitted with built-in photoluminescent or battery-powered illumination. Using the optical sight, such compasses can be read with extreme accuracy when taking bearings to an object, often to fractions of a degree. Most of these compasses are designed for heavy-duty use, with high-quality needles and jeweled bearings, and many are fitted for tripod mounting for additional accuracy.

Trough compasses, mounted in a rectangular box whose length was often several times its width, date back several centuries. They were used for land surveying, particularly with plane tables.

Limitations of the magnetic compass

The magnetic compass is very reliable at moderate latitudes, but in geographic regions near the Earth's magnetic poles it becomes unusable. As the compass is moved closer to one of the magnetic poles, the magnetic declination, the difference between the direction to geographical north and magnetic north, becomes greater and greater. At some point close to the magnetic pole the compass will not indicate any particular direction but will begin to drift. Also, the needle starts to point up or down when getting closer to the poles, because of the so-called magnetic inclination. Cheap compasses with bad bearings may get stuck because of this and therefore indicate a wrong direction.

Magnetic compasses are influenced by any fields other than Earth's. Local environments may contain magnetic mineral deposits and artificial sources such as MRIs, large iron or steel bodies, electrical engines or strong permanent magnets. Any electrically conductive body produces its own magnetic field when it is carrying an electric current. Magnetic compasses are prone to errors in the neighborhood of such bodies. Some compasses include magnets which can be adjusted to compensate for external magnetic fields, making the compass more reliable and accurate.

A compass is also subject to errors when the compass is accelerated or decelerated in an airplane or automobile. Depending on which of the Earth's hemispheres the compass is located and if the force is acceleration or deceleration the compass will increase or decrease the indicated heading. Compasses that include compensating magnets are especially prone to these errors, since accelerations tilt the needle, bringing it closer or further from the magnets.

Another error of the mechanical compass is turning error. When one turns from a heading of east or west the compass will lag behind the turn or lead ahead of the turn. Magnetometers, and substitutes such as gyrocompasses, are more stable in such situations.

Construction of a magnetic compass

Magnetic needle

A magnetic rod is required when constructing a compass. This can be created by aligning an iron or steel rod with Earth's magnetic field and then tempering or striking it. However, this method produces only a weak magnet so other methods are preferred. For example, a magnetised rod can be created by repeatedly rubbing an iron rod with a magnetic lodestone. This magnetised rod (or magnetic needle) is then placed on a low friction surface to allow it to freely pivot to align itself with the magnetic field. It is then labeled so the user can distinguish the north-pointing from the south-pointing end; in modern convention the north end is typically marked in some way.

Needle-and-bowl device

If a needle is rubbed on a lodestone or other magnet, the needle becomes magnetized. When it is inserted in a cork or piece of wood, and placed in a bowl of water it becomes a compass. Such devices were universally used as compass until the invention of the box-like compass with a 'dry' pivoting needle sometime around 1300.

Points of the compass

Originally, many compasses were marked only as to the direction of magnetic north, or to the four cardinal points (north, south, east, west). Later, these were divided, in China into 24, and in Europe into 32 equally spaced points around the compass card. For a table of the thirty-two points, see compass points.

In the modern era, the 360-degree system took hold. This system is still in use today for civilian navigators. The degree system spaces 360 equidistant points located clockwise around the compass dial. In the 19th century some European nations adopted the "grad" (also called grade or gon) system instead, where a right angle is 100 grads to give a circle of 400 grads. Dividing grads into tenths to give a circle of 4000 decigrades has also been used in armies.

Most military forces have adopted the French "millieme" system. This is an approximation of a milli-radian (6283 per circle), in which the compass dial is spaced into 6400 units or "mils" for additional precision when measuring angles, laying artillery, etc. The value to the military is that one angular mil subtends approximately one metre at a distance of one kilometer. Imperial Russia used a system derived by dividing the circumference of a circle into chords of the same length as the radius. Each of these was divided into 100 spaces, giving a circle of 600. The Soviet Union divided these into tenths to give a circle of 6000 units, usually translated as "mils". This system was adopted by the former Warsaw Pact countries (e.g. Soviet Union, East Germany), often counterclockwise (see picture of wrist compass). This is still in use in Russia.

Compass balancing (magnetic dip)

Because the Earth's magnetic field's inclination and intensity vary at different latitudes, compasses are often balanced during manufacture so that the dial or needle will be level, eliminating needle drag which can give inaccurate readings. Most manufacturers balance their compass needles for one of five zones, ranging from zone 1, covering most of the Northern Hemisphere, to zone 5 covering Australia and the southern oceans. This individual zone balancing prevents excessive dipping of one end of the needle which can cause the compass card to stick and give false readings.

Some compasses feature a special needle balancing system that will accurately indicate magnetic north regardless of the particular magnetic zone. Other magnetic compasses have a small sliding counterweight installed on the needle itself. This sliding counterweight, called a 'rider', can be used for counterbalancing the needle against the dip caused by inclination if the compass is taken to a zone with a higher or lower dip.

Compass correction

Like any magnetic device, compasses are affected by nearby ferrous materials, as well as by strong local electromagnetic forces. Compasses used for wilderness land navigation should not be used in proximity to ferrous metal objects or electromagnetic fields (car electrical systems, automobile engines, steel pitons, etc.) as that can affect their accuracy. Compasses are particularly difficult to use accurately in or near trucks, cars or other mechanized vehicles even when corrected for deviation by the use of built-in magnets or other devices. Large amounts of ferrous metal combined with the on-and-off electrical fields caused by the vehicle's ignition and charging systems generally result in significant compass errors.

At sea, a ship's compass must also be corrected for errors, called deviation, caused by iron and steel in its structure and equipment. The ship is swung, that is rotated about a fixed point while its heading is noted by alignment with fixed points on the shore. A compass deviation card is prepared so that the navigator can convert between compass and magnetic headings. The compass can be corrected in three ways. First the lubber line can be adjusted so that it is aligned with the direction in which the ship travels, then the effects of permanent magnets can be corrected for by small magnets fitted within the case of the compass. The effect of ferromagnetic materials in the compass's environment can be corrected by two iron balls mounted on either side of the compass binnacle.

A similar process is used to calibrate the compass in light general aviation aircraft, with the compass deviation card often mounted permanently just above or below the magnetic compass on the instrument panel. Fluxgate electronic compasses can be calibrated automatically, and can also be programmed with the correct local compass variation so as to indicate the true heading.

Using a magnetic compass

A magnetic compass points to magnetic north pole, which is approximately 1,000 miles from the true geographic North Pole. A magnetic compass's user can determine true North by finding the magnetic north and then correcting for variation and deviation. Variation is defined as the angle between the direction of true (geographic) north and the direction of the meridian between the magnetic poles. Variation values for most of the oceans had been calculated and published by 1914. Deviation refers to the response of the compass to local magnetic fields caused by the presence of iron and electric currents; one can partly compensate for these by careful location of the compass and the placement of compensating magnets under the compass itself. Mariners have long known that these measures do not completely cancel deviation; hence, they performed an additional step by measuring the compass bearing of a landmark with a known magnetic bearing. They then pointed their ship to the next compass point and measured again, graphing their results. In this way, correction tables could be created, which would be consulted when compasses were used when traveling in those locations.

Mariners are concerned about very accurate measurements; however, casual users need not be concerned with differences between magnetic and true North. Except in areas of extreme magnetic declination variance (20 degrees or more), this is enough to protect from walking in a substantially different direction than expected over short distances, provided the terrain is fairly flat and visibility is not impaired. By carefully recording distances (time or paces) and magnetic bearings traveled, one can plot a course and return to one's starting point using the compass alone.

Compass navigation in conjunction with a map ( terrain association) requires a different method. To take a map bearing or true bearing (a bearing taken in reference to true, not magnetic north) to a destination with a protractor compass, the edge of the compass is placed on the map so that it connects the current location with the desired destination (some sources recommend physically drawing a line). The orienting lines in the base of the compass dial are then rotated to align with actual or true north by aligning them with a marked line of longitude (or the vertical margin of the map), ignoring the compass needle entirely. The resulting true bearing or map bearing may then be read at the degree indicator or direction-of-travel (DOT) line, which may be followed as an (course) to the destination. If a magnetic north bearing or compass bearing is desired, the compass must be adjusted by the amount of magnetic declination before using the bearing so that both map and compass are in agreement. In the given example, the large mountain in the second photo was selected as the target destination on the map. Some compasses allow the scale to be adjusted to compensate for the local magnetic declination; if adjusted correctly, the compass will give the true bearing instead of the magnetic bearing.

The modern hand-held protractor compass always has an additional direction-of-travel (DOT) arrow or indicator inscribed on the baseplate. To check one's progress along a course or azimuth, or to ensure that the object in view is indeed the destination, a new compass reading may be taken to the target if visible (here, the large mountain). After pointing the DOT arrow on the baseplate at the target, the compass is oriented so that the needle is superimposed over the orienting arrow in the capsule. The resulting bearing indicated is the magnetic bearing to the target. Again, if one is using "true" or map bearings, and the compass does not have preset, pre-adjusted declination, one must additionally add or subtract magnetic declination to convert the magnetic bearing into a true bearing. The exact value of the magnetic declination is place-dependent and varies over time, though declination is frequently given on the map itself or obtainable on-line from various sites. If the hiker has been following the correct path, the compass' corrected (true) indicated bearing should closely correspond to the true bearing previously obtained from the map.

A compass should be laid down on a level surface so that the needle only rests or hangs on the bearing fused to the compass casing - if used at a tilt, the needle might touch the casing on the compass and not move freely, hence not pointing to the magnetic north accurately, giving a faulty reading. To see if the needle is well leveled, look closely at the needle, and tilt it slightly to see if the needle is swaying side to side freely and the needle is not contacting the casing of the compass. If the needle tilts to one direction, tilt the compass slightly and gently to the opposing direction until the compass needle is horizontal, lengthwise. Items to avoid around compasses are magnets of any kind and any electronics. Magnetic fields from electronics can easily disrupt the needle, preventing it from aligning with the Earth's magnetic fields, causing inaccurate readings. The Earth's natural magnetic forces are considerably weak, measuring at 0.5 Gauss and magnetic fields from household electronics can easily exceed it, overpowering the compass needle. Exposure to strong magnets, or magnetic interference can sometimes cause the magnetic poles of the compass needle to differ or even reverse. Avoid iron rich deposits when using a compass, for example, certain rocks which contain magnetic minerals, like Magnetite. This is often indicated by a rock with a surface which is dark and has a metallic luster, not all magnetic mineral bearing rocks have this indication. To see if a rock or an area is causing interference on a compass, get out of the area, and see if the needle on the compass moves. If it does, it means that the area or rock the compass was previously at is causing interference and should be avoided.

Images for kids

In Spanish: Brújula para niños

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The compass, historically one of the most important aids to navigation, helped to drive the great sea voyages of Europe's Age of Discovery. The compass, a Chinese invention, was introduced to Europeans by way of Arab traders in the 13 th century.

Two thousand years ago the Chinese had already developed a primitive working compass. A piece of lodestone (a magnetic iron-ore that occurs naturally) was carved into the shape of a ladle (to mimic the Great Bear constellation or Big Dipper as we know it). It was then placed on a polished and smooth board. The ladle would swivel until the handle pointed south. The bulk or bowl of the ladle would point north as it is attracted to magnetic north. A major advance came when Chinese "magicians" learned to rub the point of a needle on a loadstone, magnetizing it, making it capable of pointing south.
Han Dynasty loadstone compass. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
In Medieval China, factories were set up to produce several different kinds of compasses. One of the most popular, and easiest to produce, was called the south-pointing-fish. A text from the early eleventh century describes a fish-shape cut from a sheet of iron that is thin enough to float on the surface of a bowl using surface tension. When placed on the surface of the water in the bowl, the fish would rotate until its head pointed south and its tail pointed north.

Now, try making your own version of the south-pointing-fish!

You will need to gather the following items: Fish template (below), Black medium-point permanent marker, scissors, strong magnet, large metal yarn needle, Flat recycled Styrofoam, Large bowl filled with water and a compass for checking direction.

First, fill a large bowl half full of water. Then, print off the fish template and cut it out using the scissors. Place the fish onto the Styrofoam, use the permanent marker to trace around it, and then use the scissors to cut the fish shape out of the Styrofoam.

Next, determine which direction is south in the area you are working in, using a real compass. Then, magnetize the large needle by stroking it in one direction along the surface of the magnet.

Float the fish in the bowl of water and carefully place the needle with the tip pointing either toward the head or tail and the eye in the opposite direction. If the head of the fish points to the south, you are done! If the head points to the north, simply reverse the needle and it will point in the correct direction.

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Educator How To: Make Your Own Ancient Chinese Compass!

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The compass, historically one of the most important aids to navigation, helped to drive the great sea voyages of Europe's Age of Discovery. The compass, a Chinese invention, was introduced to Europeans by way of Arab traders in the 13 th century. Two thousand years ago the Chinese had already developed a primitive working compass.

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Word's Greatest INVENTIONS  - "When Was The Compass Invented"

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The Ancient Chinese Compass Invention Extended

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This video is about the ancient Chinese compass and the early compass looked like. This video shows what the compass was used for. This is the extended version of the video which contains the compass explained and the compass powerpoint which provides more info.

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Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/join -- Create animated videos and animated presentations for free. PowToon is a free tool that allows you to develop cool animated clips and animated presentations for your website, office meeting, sales pitch, nonprofit fundraiser, product launch, video resume, or anything else you could use an animated explainer video.

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No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

One popular Chinese legend tells the story of a Chinese farmer who tied his hat to his head with a piece of string to keep it from blowing away. In a wind, the hat nevertheless managed to float off for a ways with the farmer trailing behind it holding the string. Thus, the legend says, the kite was born.

Modern historians have found evidence in the histories of Malaysia, Indonesia, Hawaii, Polynesia and New Zealand that indicates that kites may have been independently invented in these areas at about the same time they were first seen in China.

If we look solely at written history, though, Chinese philosopher Mo-tse was arguably the first person ever to build a kite. Mo-tse lived from approximately 468 B.C. to around 376 B.C.

Written records indicate that he created a kite in the shape of a bird over the course of three years and then flew it only one day. Based on these records, it's safe to say the kite has been around for at least 2,300 years!

The Chinese created a holiday - the Festival of on High - based on their love of kite flying. On the ninth day of the ninth month each year, the Chinese celebrate by flying kites.

Kites eventually made their way from Asia to the rest of the world. Marco Polo is given credit for bringing the kite to Europe after his trips to China.

Today, millions of people around the world, both young and old, fly kites just for the pure joy of it. But kites have served many purposes beyond entertainment .

In ancient China, General Han Hsin flew a kite over an enemy and used the length of the kite string to how far his soldiers would need to tunnel to get inside.

Hundreds of years later, scientists used kites as tools for experimentation. Alexander Wilson used kites to lift thermometers high into the atmosphere to measure temperatures.

Of course, the most famous scientific experiment involving a kite has to be Ben Franklin's legendary use of a kite and a metal key to study lightning during a thunderstorm.

Kites still serve important purposes today. In addition to being a favorite toy of children around the world, kites are used by fishermen to lay bait. They are also used by photographers to take pictures with a bird's-eye view.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

One popular Chinese legend tells the story of a Chinese farmer who tied his hat to his head with a piece of string to keep it from blowing away. In a wind, the hat nevertheless managed to float off for a ways with the farmer trailing behind it holding the string. Thus, the legend says, the kite was born.

Modern historians have found evidence in the histories of Malaysia, Indonesia, Hawaii, Polynesia and New Zealand that indicates that kites may have been independently invented in these areas at about the same time they were first seen in China.

If we look solely at written history, though, Chinese philosopher Mo-tse was arguably the first person ever to build a kite. Mo-tse lived from approximately 468 B.C. to around 376 B.C.

Written records indicate that he created a kite in the shape of a bird over the course of three years and then flew it only one day. Based on these records, it's safe to say the kite has been around for at least 2,300 years!

The Chinese created a holiday - the Festival of on High - based on their love of kite flying. On the ninth day of the ninth month each year, the Chinese celebrate by flying kites.

Kites eventually made their way from Asia to the rest of the world. Marco Polo is given credit for bringing the kite to Europe after his trips to China.

Today, millions of people around the world, both young and old, fly kites just for the pure joy of it. But kites have served many purposes beyond entertainment .

In ancient China, General Han Hsin flew a kite over an enemy and used the length of the kite string to how far his soldiers would need to tunnel to get inside.

Hundreds of years later, scientists used kites as tools for experimentation. Alexander Wilson used kites to lift thermometers high into the atmosphere to measure temperatures.

Of course, the most famous scientific experiment involving a kite has to be Ben Franklin's legendary use of a kite and a metal key to study lightning during a thunderstorm.

Kites still serve important purposes today. In addition to being a favorite toy of children around the world, kites are used by fishermen to lay bait. They are also used by photographers to take pictures with a bird's-eye view.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

One popular Chinese legend tells the story of a Chinese farmer who tied his hat to his head with a piece of string to keep it from blowing away. In a wind, the hat nevertheless managed to float off for a ways with the farmer trailing behind it holding the string. Thus, the legend says, the kite was born.

Modern historians have found evidence in the histories of Malaysia, Indonesia, Hawaii, Polynesia and New Zealand that indicates that kites may have been independently invented in these areas at about the same time they were first seen in China.

If we look solely at written history, though, Chinese philosopher Mo-tse was arguably the first person ever to build a kite. Mo-tse lived from approximately 468 B.C. to around 376 B.C.

Written records indicate that he created a kite in the shape of a bird over the course of three years and then flew it only one day. Based on these records, it's safe to say the kite has been around for at least 2,300 years!

The Chinese created a holiday - the Festival of on High - based on their love of kite flying. On the ninth day of the ninth month each year, the Chinese celebrate by flying kites.

Kites eventually made their way from Asia to the rest of the world. Marco Polo is given credit for bringing the kite to Europe after his trips to China.

Today, millions of people around the world, both young and old, fly kites just for the pure joy of it. But kites have served many purposes beyond entertainment .

In ancient China, General Han Hsin flew a kite over an enemy and used the length of the kite string to how far his soldiers would need to tunnel to get inside.

Hundreds of years later, scientists used kites as tools for experimentation. Alexander Wilson used kites to lift thermometers high into the atmosphere to measure temperatures.

Of course, the most famous scientific experiment involving a kite has to be Ben Franklin's legendary use of a kite and a metal key to study lightning during a thunderstorm.

Kites still serve important purposes today. In addition to being a favorite toy of children around the world, kites are used by fishermen to lay bait. They are also used by photographers to take pictures with a bird's-eye view.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No one knows for sure who first attached a paper to a stiff frame with string and watched it float off in the breeze. Traditionally, historians give credit for the invention of the kite to the Chinese. They admit, though, that China may get credit simply because its history has been well-preserved in written records.

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Ancient China for Kids: Inventions and Technology

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Kids learn about the inventions and technology of Ancient China to Europe such as paper, the compass, printing, and gunpowder.

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Word's Greatest INVENTIONS  - "When Was The Compass Invented"