Directions and

Bearings

Created by tbonnar.

Directions and Bearings

• There are eight major directions that we commonly use.The first four are called the cardinal directions.

Directions and Bearings

• Sometimes, another four directions are added. So there are directions like Southeast (SE) and Northwest (NW)

Directions and Bearings

• Occasionally, sixteen directions are used. Example WSW = Westsouthwest

Directions and Bearings

• With more than sixteen directions, things get quite confusing, so we use numbers called bearings.

Directions and Bearings

• There are 360° of bearings. If we use decimals, there are even more (∞ in fact). We commonly use only 360 though.

Directions and Bearings

• All of these bearings and directions appearon magnetic compasses, which are used tofigure out directions and calculate exact bearings.

Today of course, many people use GPS systems instead of “old-fashioned” compasses.

Directions and Bearings

• A simple protractor can be usedto calculate bearings on a diagram or map.