Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Angle on the horizontal plane between magnetic north and true north. Example of magnetic declination showing a compass needle with a "positive" (or "easterly") variation from geographic north. N g is geographic or true north, N m is magnetic north, and δ is magnetic declination. Magnetic declination (also called magnetic variation) is the ...
Cardinal directions or cardinal points may sometimes be extended to include vertical position (elevation, altitude, depth): north and south, east and west, up and down; or mathematically the six directions of the x-, y-, and z-axes in three-dimensional Cartesian coordinates. Topographic maps include elevation, typically via contour lines.
Direction determination. Direction determination refers to the ways in which a cardinal direction or compass point can be determined in navigation and wayfinding. The most direct method is using a compass (magnetic compass or gyrocompass), but indirect methods exist, based on the Sun path (unaided or by using a watch or sundial), the stars, and ...
Bearing (navigation) A standard Brunton compass, used commonly by geologists and surveyors to obtain a bearing in the field. In navigation, bearing or azimuth is the horizontal angle between the direction of an object and north or another object. The angle value can be specified in various angular units, such as degrees, mils, or grad.
Meridians run between the North and South poles. In geography and geodesy, a meridian is the locus connecting points of equal longitude, which is the angle (in degrees or other units) east or west of a given prime meridian (currently, the IERS Reference Meridian). [1] In other words, it is a coordinate line for longitudes, a line of longitude.
The azimuth is the angle formed between a reference direction (in this example north) and a line from the observer to a point of interest projected on the same plane as the reference direction orthogonal to the zenith. An azimuth (/ ˈæzəməθ / ⓘ; from Arabic: اَلسُّمُوت, romanized: as-sumūt, lit. 'the directions') [1] is the ...
Magnetic dip, dip angle, or magnetic inclination is the angle made with the horizontal by Earth's magnetic field lines. This angle varies at different points on Earth's surface. Positive values of inclination indicate that the magnetic field of Earth is pointing downward, into Earth, at the point of measurement, and negative values indicate ...
In navigation, the heading of a vessel or aircraft is the compass direction in which the craft's bow or nose is pointed. Note that the heading may not necessarily be the direction that the vehicle actually travels, which is known as its course. [a] Any difference between the heading and course is due to the motion of the underlying medium, the ...