Compass
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A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It typically consists of a magnetized needle or another element, such as a compass card or comp
A modern military compass, with included sight device for aligning
Model of a lodestone compass from Han dynasty
A liquid-filled protractor or orienteering compass with lanyard
Cammenga air filled lensatic compass
Four Great Inventions
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The Four Great Inventions are inventions from imperial China that are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and as symbols of ancient China's advanced science and technology.
Compass
…If local variation between magnetic north and true north is known, then direction of magnetic north also gives direction of true north. Among the Four Great Inventions, the magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han dynasty (since c. 206 BC), and later adopted for…
Hemp wrapping paper, China, circa 100 BC
Diagram of a Ming dynasty mariner's compass
Hand cannon from the Yuan dynasty, circa 1300s (decade)
The intricate frontispiece of the Diamond Sutra from Tang dynasty China, 868 (British Museum)