Compass
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
A Compass can mean one of two things:
[edit] Pointing Direction
A magnetic compass points in the direction of the North Pole (strictly speaking, the Magnetic North Pole).
A compass is very useful for navigating on oceans and in deserts, or other places where there are few landmarks.
[edit] Drawing Circles
A drawing compass is a drawing tool that can draw circles and arcs (incomplete circles) on sketches and diagrams.
It consists of two legs joined at a hinge.
One leg contains a sharp point used to centre the compass while it turns.
The other leg contains some kind of screw fixture that can hold a pen or pencil.
[edit] Divider
A divider is a drawing compass with two pointed ends, and is used to mark out distances and lengths.
The divider is so called because it can be used to divide a length in two, using theorems of Geometry.