Investigating in the forest, business travelers trudge through the vast desert. What do they rely on to tell the direction?
Everyone may say the same answer in unison: compass. But you know what a compass looks like.
Invented? Do you know that there are many unforgettable stories about compasses?
According to legend, more than 4,000 years ago, in the Central Plains of northern China, the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou fought in Zhuolu.
Wild, the battle lasted for half a year without a winner.
It should be said that the Yellow Emperor was able to win this battle because his tribe was a stronger one.
Tribe, he stands for justice. However, whenever the battle is about to win, it is always foggy.
Shan Ye, people can't tell the direction, so all previous efforts were in vain.
The Yellow Emperor decided to send someone to find out how the fog came into being. So he sent an important general.
I went up the mountain to spy on the movement of the Chiyou tribe.
After the Yellow Emperor and others reached the mountain, the valleys everywhere were filled with faint clouds, and the fog quietly went up the mountain alone.
Like an evil spirit, looking for a resting place, I can't get it. The sticky and cold fog came slowly.
Look, the waves are undulating and chasing each other, like waves on a dangerous sea. Density closure of fog
After seeing all the scenery, just as the Yellow Emperor was about to order him to return to the camp, the generals around him suddenly discovered a miracle.
The Yellow Emperor looked in the direction of the general's finger and saw Chiyou sitting on the altar of Chiyou Camp.
After a pause, the swallow behind him, slowly fog, fog from his mouth, slowly fly out of the camp, lingering mountains and rivers.
Juye
The Yellow Emperor remembered that this was not the fog of nature. If he wants to break the fog, he must make it as simple as the East.
People can tell the direction and then break it in one fell swoop.
After the Yellow Emperor returned to the camp, he immediately ordered a skilled craftsman to build a compass car so that it could identify the direction. In the compass car
One evening after the completion, the Yellow Emperor led the tribe to attack Chiyou on a large scale.
At this time, the fog made by Chiyou was no longer effective, and the Huangdi tribe was defeated in the fog under the guidance of the south guide car.
Chiyou, as a result, Chiyou was defeated and Huangdi won.
In fact, although the above story is widely circulated, it is not credible that Huangdi invented the compass.
Moreover, there are essential differences between compass and compass.
According to historical records, Zhang Heng, a great scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty, did invent the compass, but he
Unfortunately, our manufacturing method has been lost.
During the Three Kingdoms period, an inventor named Ma Jun re-invented the compass. Sure, Ma Jun.
We will introduce this invention later.
The following story has something to do with the compass.
It is said that when Qin Shihuang was in power, he was surrounded by a group of magicians looking for elixirs for him. have
One day, a warlock named Xu Fu said:
"There are three sacred mountains in the East China Sea, named Penglai, Abbot and Yingzhou, where the immortals are all.
Live in a house. Ask the emperor to let me lead a group of men, women and children to seek. "
Qin Shihuang was very happy and immediately sent thousands of children to build a big ship for him, so he could go from now on.
Go to sea near Rizhao County, Shandong Province. Who knows that Chui fook is gone? I don't know that he has taken away these boys and girls.
Where to go.
Thousands of years have passed, and Qin Shihuang has already become a historical relic. But the story of Xu Fu's crossing the sea for medical treatment is not.
Not to be forgotten. Some historians believe that Xu Fu and others crossed the Yellow Sea and the Korean Strait at that time.
Arrive in Japan.
If so, then Xu Fu can be regarded as a pioneer among China navigators.
Things, that is to say, chui fook first used the compass.
Maybe some readers will say, "Does Xu Fu have to use a compass? For example, using the sun, stars
Can't stars get to the designated place when they set up their positions? "
Yes, it is indeed possible, and people in ancient China did the same. However, if you touch
What should we do in the weather of "the evil wind whistling, the turbid waves emptying, the sun shining high and the mountains sneaking"?
Besides, this kind of weather is common at sea. The vast sea, boundless Wang Yang, if sailing.
Deviate from 1 and you may never reach your destination. As the saying goes, "One misstep makes an everlasting regret."
Inches "
Of course, we are just guessing here, so don't take it seriously. Just discuss it.
Compass is made by using the finger polarity of magnets in the earth's magnetic field. Magnets can attract iron, and
This is what we usually call a magnet.
More than 2000 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, mining and iron smelting had reached a considerable scale. labour
In the process of searching for iron ore, people found this magical ore, because it absorbs iron as soon as it touches it.
For example, a kind mother attracts children, so it is called "cishi".
There is a record in Guanzi Dishu: "There are mercy stones on the top and copper and gold on the bottom." Shan hai Jing Bei
"Mountain Classic" records: "The westward flow in Ling Ze is mostly Guanyin stone." The ancients compared the magnet to "mother"
Children fall in love. "
They not only found the iron attraction of magnets, but also found the finger polarity of magnets. Each magnet
There are different magnetic poles at both ends, one is called S pole and the other is called N pole.
The earth itself, where we live, is also a huge natural magnet, which is different at the north and south ends.
Magnetic poles. The magnetism near the North Pole is the S pole, and the magnetism near the South Pole is the N pole. Because of same-sex exclusion
Therefore, no matter where the earth is, place a magnetic needle, and its N pole always points to the north.
However, the original compass is completely different from the current compass. The original compass was
Made of magnets, natural magnets, polished into the shape of spoons.
The S pole of the magnet is polished into a spoon handle, and the center of gravity of the magnetic spoon falls on the center of the round and smooth bottom.
When the magnetic spoon is finished, you need to make a smooth chassis.
When in use, it is placed in the center of the flat chassis, and the handle of the spoon is pulled by hand to make it rotate.
When it stopped, the handle of the spoon pointed south. The ancients called this kind of magnetic spoon "Sina", which was responsible for guiding the way.
Meaning.
Sina is the earliest compass in the world, and there are many notes in China ancient books that use Sina to tell the direction.
Load. For example, in Guiguzi's essay, when someone goes out to pick jade, he takes Sina with him, so as not to
Get lost.
"Everything is done by Han Feizi Youdu" records: "Wang Li and Sina seize the day", which is also what Sina did.
Bearing record.
However, this method of cutting Sina with natural magnets has high technical requirements and great difficulty. because
For natural magnets in the process of cutting, it is easy to lose magnetism due to vibration, so this SiNa has to
Not widely used.
With the development of society, the need of war and navigation, people urgently demand a kind of production and use.
Use more convenient pointing tools. In the long-term production practice, the working people in our country have gradually mastered labor.
Magnetization method has greatly developed the compass.
In A.D. 1044, in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Ceng Gongliang edited a military work "General Outline of the Art of War".
In this paper, a novel guide tool-the making method of guide fish is recorded in detail.
"Cut it with thin iron leaves, two inches long and five points wide, and the end is like a fish. Burn them in charcoal fire and wait for them to pass.
Red, with iron Rinrin fish out of the fire for the first time, with its tail in the right position (north), immersed in the basin, no mantissa,
Collect it with a secret device. "
In this way, the iron fish is magnetized into a guide fish. When using, just take a bowl of water and put it away.
In windy places, airplane fish will float on the water. At rest, the fish head points to the south.
Of course, the thin iron sheet mentioned above should be low carbon steel. This artificial magnetization method is better than that in Europe.
Hundreds of years ago, it was not until 1600 that Gilbert, an Englishman, discovered that the red-hot iron bar was along the earth's magnetic field.
Directional cooling magnetization method.
At that time, there were not only iron compass fish, but also wood compass fish and guide turtles. wooden
Fingerfish is a piece of wood the size of a finger, carved into the shape of a fish. Dig a hole from the fish mouth and put it in.
A magnet with its S pole facing outwards, and then sealed with yellow wax.
When in use, the wooden fish is placed on the water surface, and its principle is similar to that of the iron fish. But the guide turtle won't let go
In the water, dig a small hole under the turtle's stomach and let it rotate freely on a smooth bamboo pole.
Move it.
Shortly after the invention of the guide fish, people mastered a better and more convenient artificial magnetization method, that is
Rub the steel needle with a natural magnet to magnetize it. This artificially magnetized steel needle can be said to be positive
The type of compass.
This greatly simplifies the manufacturing process of compass and provides the first step for the wide application of compass.
Clear terms.
Famous scientists in the Northern Song Dynasty described four uses of the compass in the book Meng Qian Bi Tan.
Method:
1. Water floating method of magnetic needle passing through wick;
2. Nail fixation method, that is, put the magnetic needle on the smooth nail surface;
3. Bowl lip rotation method, that is, put the magnetic needle on the smooth bowl mouth;
4. Twilight hanging method is to apply a little wax in the middle of the magnetic needle, stick a thread on it and hang it in a windless place.
Shui Piao method, hanging method, needle top method for woodcut turtle guide. Until now, it is still aviation and navigation.
Compass and geomagnetic measuring instrument used.
The greatest historical achievement of compass lies in its application in navigation. Judging from the materials currently available, the most
It was used for navigation as early as the Northern Song Dynasty. Navigation in the Song Dynasty was quite developed, compared with the Japanese archipelago and Nanyang Group.
The island has frequent exchanges and close trade relations with Arab countries.
The rapid development of these maritime traffic is closely related to the application of compass. No matter what the weather is like
Darkness and course can be grasped by people.
The Dream of Liang Lu, written in the south, once said: "The wind and rain will cast their shadows before them, so we can only take the needle board, which is the palm of fire.
Dare not make mistakes, but also shipbuilding. "
There is such a sentence in the navigation article of the Yuan Dynasty: "Sailing in the ocean is not afraid of depth, no
Worried about the wind and rocks. Set the disk star to the direction. "
The dial and disk star mentioned above are navigation compasses. In the Ming Dynasty, the "East-West Examination" said: The ship went out.
Into the sea, into the vast sea, choppy, there is no shore sign to follow, so it has to be "unique"
Nan Zhen is the guide.
It can be seen that a small magnetic needle is essential for maritime navigation and promotes the development of the maritime industry.
What an important role it has played.
The most famous voyage was Zheng He's voyage to the Western Ocean in the Ming Dynasty, from Liujiagang in Jiangsu Province to Sumatra in Indonesia.
The routes along the way are marked with compass pointers. Later, Columbus sailed to America and Magellan sailed around the world.
Well, it's all about the compass, the savior of the sea.
China's compass spread to Arabia around 12 century, and then from Arabia to Europe.
Mainland.