The Compass and its Many Uses

Discovered in China in the 4th century the compassbefore had people tasted foods not local to their land
has been used as anything from a feng shui device toand had access to foreign goods.  This created
a navigational instrument for seafarers to a guide forwealth for countries if they had local goods that others
engineers.  What started out as lodestones (an ironwanted and allowed the sea merchants to arrive
oxide that aligns itself to the north and south) in a bowlsafely with goods.  It is also credited with speeding up
of water has now become a compact magnetizeddeliveries and making more money for countries. 
device helping to further exploration and design.  HowWhen guided only by the sun and stars often ships
many uses does this seemingly small device have?would never arrive to their destinations.
Exploration and discoveryBuilding and renovation
Though it started out as a feng shui device, theThe compass is also used to reconstruct buildings that
compass has helped further exploration of differentwere built before the time of modern compasses. 
lands, people’s and ways of life.  Before theBuildings can be rotated by 5-15 degrees to keep the
discovery of the compass, seafarers were only ablemagnetic declination from destroying the original
to go as far out to sea as they could still see theirbuildings.
land.  Seafarers had only before used the sun andMining
constellations to guide them to faraway places butCompasses are also used underground in mining
that could become a problem when poor weatherexpeditions where no natural light can aid miners.  The
arrived and they were unable to use the sun foruse of compasses for mining was first used in the
direction.  Without the compass we may never have1300’s in the Tuscan mining town of Massa to give
known how big the Earth really is.miners the ability to stay on target when digging
It has also been instrumental in allowing for importingtunnels.
and exporting goods to other countries.  Never