Knowledge of navigation has come to people for a long time.When there was absolutely no technology, people already knew how to determine the side of the world without a compass. Being able to do this was a very important procedure, starting from the time when it became necessary for the human family to move around, build structures, in a word, to perform tasks and solve problems directly related to the direction. And even today the ability to determine the sides of the world will not be superfluous, since there are a lot of circumstances that require it.
Determine the side of the world with the help of nature
There are plants that were conditionally namedcompass. Their peculiarity is that they are able to position their leaves along the meridian, so that their faces look to the north and to the south. A similar "compass" plant grows in Russia. This is a wild lettuce, it can often be found in the garden as a weed.
One of the most proven ways toTo determine the side of the world without a compass with the help of natural phenomena is the examination of trees, anthills, stones or the night sky. On trees that love heat, branches and leaves grow most from the south side. Ants erect their anthills in such a way that their slope is slightly longer from the south and shorter from the north. Moss prefers to grow on the north side of stones or trees. The well-known Polar Star, which is located near the constellation of the Great Bear, also shines from the north side. It is the brightest and most visible among other stars and clusters.
Two ways to identify the sides of the world with the help of improvised means
Nature often presents unpleasant surprises.Nearby, there may not be any compass plants, no trees, no ants, or even moss, and the sky can be clouded at all. How to determine the side of the world without a compass in this case? Very simple. We use an arrow or a needle and a magnet.
1. The sides of the world by the clock are defined simply.At any time of the day before 6 pm we aim a small arrow on the Sun (it should be noted that even through the clouds it is often visible), then we draw in the mind the angle between it and the 2-hour mark of the dial, divide it in half, i.e. we find the bisector. She will point to the south.
2.Take a vessel with water (the dish will fit perfectly), put in it a floating flat object of small size (a piece of wood, a piece of polyethylene or polystyrene), magnetize the needle by rubbing on a magnet or wool (you can even about the hair, but this is ineffective) and put it above the floating object. The needle will tend to the north as long as it is magnetized. So it turns out a kind of compass.
Thus, using the methods described above for finding one of the sides of the world, it is easy to find out the rest. Looking north, the east will be on the right, the west on the left, the south on the back.
