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Finding North

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Stanzin Namgail
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13 views

Finding North

maps

Uploaded by

Stanzin Namgail
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FINDING NORTH

General
1. This figure shows the main points of compass. North, South, East and West are known
as the cardinal points.
2. If the North point is taken as 0 Degrees the angle which East forms with it is 90
degrees, or a right angle. The angle formed by the South point, being twice as large, is
180 degrees, and the West point forms an angle of 270 degrees. If the angle is
measured all the way round the circle back again to North, it will be found to be 360
degrees.
Types of North
3. There are three type of North points:-

(a) True North - The direction of North pole from the observer.
(b) Magnetic North- It is the point to which an accurate compass needle points, when
freely suspended.
(c) Grid North - It is the direction to which the North South grid lines on a map
point.
Magnetic Variation
4. True North is Constant Magnetic North is the point to which the compass needle
points. The needle does not point directly to True North, but a little West or East of
True North. The point towards which the needle swings is known as Magnetic North
45 and the difference between True North and Magnetic North is called magnetic
variation. The amount of the magnetic variation depends upon two factors, time and
place. See Fig.

5. Time. The Variation is not constant but is, gradually changing and even the change each
year is not constant but the difference being negligible it is taken to be constant. On the top
margin of a map will be found a statement giving the magnetic variation. To bring this up-to-
date, the year of issue of the map must be noted and for every year that has passed since then
the applicable change annually subtracted or added from the figure given as applicable.
6. Place. The amount of the magnetic variation also changes in different parts of the world
and indeed in different parts of the country.

Grid Convergence
7. The angular difference between Grid and True NORTH is called the ‘Angle of
Convergence or the grid convergence’.

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