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A compass, also commonly known as a pair of compasses, is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. As dividers, it can also be used as a tool to mark out distances, in particular, on maps. Compasses can be used for mathematics, drafting, navigation and other purposes.
In geometry, the compass equivalence theorem is an important statement in compass and straightedge constructions. The tool advocated by Plato in these constructions is a divider or collapsing compass , that is, a compass that "collapses" whenever it is lifted from a page, so that it may not be directly used to transfer distances.
The compass can have an arbitrarily large radius with no markings on it (unlike certain real-world compasses). Circles and circular arcs can be drawn starting from two given points: the centre and a point on the circle. The compass may or may not collapse (i.e. fold after being taken off the page, erasing its 'stored' radius).
Martin originally intended his book to be a graduate-level textbook for students planning to become mathematics teachers. [2] However, as well as this use, it can also be read by anyone who is interested in the history of geometry and has an undergraduate-level background in abstract algebra, or used as a reference work on the topic of geometric constructions.
Animation of construction of a pentagon using a compass and straightedge. A mathematical instrument is a tool or device used in the study or practice of mathematics.In geometry, construction of various proofs was done using only a compass and straightedge; arguments in these proofs relied only on idealized properties of these instruments and literal construction was regarded as only an ...
"Relative" means that it does not state or imply any compass directions whatsoever. The vessel can be pointed in any direction. The clock numbers are relative to the direction in which the vessel points. The angular distance between adjacent clock numbers is 30 degrees, a round unit that simplifies mathematical juggling.
C.a.R.– Compass and Ruler (also known as Z.u.L., which stands for the German "Zirkel und Lineal") — is a free and open source interactive geometry app that can do geometrical constructions in Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry. The software is Java based. The author is René Grothmann of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.
A modern military compass, with included sight device for aligning. A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with magnetic north.