Bearings
What are bearings?
Bearings are a way of describing an angle
o They are commonly used in navigation
There are three rules which must be followed
when using a bearing:
o They are measured from North
North is usually straight up on a scale
drawing or map, and should be
labelled on the diagram
o They are measured clockwise
o The angle should always be written with 3 digits
059° instead of just 59°
Knowing the compass directions and their respective bearings can be
helpful
How do I find a bearing between two points?
Identify where you need to start
o "The bearing of A from B" means start at B and find the bearing to A
o "The bearing of B from A" means start at A and find the bearing to B
Draw a North line at the starting point
Draw a line between the two points
Measure the angle between the North line and the line joining the points
o Measure clockwise from North
Write the angle using 3 figures
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guide
How do I draw a point on a bearing?
You might be asked to plot a point that is a given distance from another point
and on a given bearing
STEP 1
Draw a North line at the point you wish to measure the bearing from
o If you are given the bearing from A to B draw the North line at A
STEP 2
Measure the angle of the bearing given from the North line in the clockwise
direction
STEP 3
Draw a line and add the point B at the given distance
How do I find the bearing of B from A if I know the bearing of A from
B?
If the bearing of A from B is less than 180°
o Add 180° to it to find the bearing of B from A
If the bearing of A from B is more than 180°
o Subtract 180° from it to find the bearing of B from A
How do I answer trickier questions involving bearings?
Bearings questions may involve the use of Pythagoras or trigonometry to
find missing distances (lengths) and directions (angles)
o You should always draw a diagram if there isn't one given
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guide
Draw in a north line at the point P
Measure an angle of 105° clockwise from the north line
Making sure you are accurate, carefully make a small but visible mark on the
map
Draw a line from P through the mark you have made. Make this line long so that you
can easily measure along it accurately
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Use the scale given on the map (1 cm = 10 km) to work out the number of cm that
would represent 70 km
70 km = 70 ÷ 10 = 7 cm
Accurately measure 7 cm from the point P along the line and make a clear mark on
the line
Label this point Q
A bearing of 065 means 65° clockwise from the North
First, draw a North line at the point Q, then carefully measure an angle of 65°
clockwise from this line. Make a mark and then draw a line from Q through this mark
Using the scale, find the distance in cm along the line you will need to measure.
35 km = 35 ÷ 10 = 3.5 cm
Accurately measure 3.5 cm from the point Q along this new line and make a clear
mark on the line
This is the final position of the ship.
4 [Subject] | Study
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