Directions and bearings

Why is this relevant? How is it used?

Directions and bearings are terms we use to communicate where one location is relative to another location. Directions uses the four points of the compass (North, South, East and West), and bearings uses a system of 360 degrees and a protractor.

Both of these approaches enable us to communicate where one location is relative to another. For example, Brisbane is North of Sydney. Perth is West of Sydney.

Discussion

There are four points of the compass, North, South, East and West. Importantly, North does not mean up (which would be in the sky), but means the direction that a compass points to as magnetic north (which is a location near the north pole). Based on this being north, the opposite is south (hence the south pole), and east and west are directions that move us around the earth parallel to the poles.

The four points of the compass look like the following:

An easy way to remember the order of the four points of the compass is the following, starting at the top and moving around in a clockwise fashion:

Never

Eat

Soggy

Weetbix

A direction between two points, for example a direction halfway between North and East, is called North East. Similarly, a direction halfway between West and South would be called South West.

Bearings

Bearings are a more precise way to indicate direction, and use a protractor. As you know, a circle has 360 degrees, with 180 degrees in each half of the circle. A bearing will be a number, between 0 and 360 degrees, which represents the direction that one location is when viewed from a starting location.

With bearings, it is very important that everyone calculates them the same way – if calculated differently, one person may think it is 180 degrees, where another says its 360 degrees, or something different entirely.

In order to ensure everyone knows what a particular bearing means, bearings are always calculated based on north being zero degrees, and degrees are then counted moving clockwise around the circle from there.

Watch the video outlining directions and bearings

For example, a direction of North is a bearing of zero.

A direction of South would be a bearing is 180 degrees.

A direction of East would be a bearing of 90 degrees.

A direction of West would be bearing of 270 degrees.

How to see bearings

Bearings can be seen using a protractor. The steps involved in seeing a bearing between two points is as follows:

Draw a line between the two points which will be long enough to see using your protractor

Place the protractor on the map, with 0 degrees pointing north, and the centre of the protractor on the starting location.

Read on the protractor the degrees that the line between the two points follows. If your protractor only has 180 degrees, where the bearing is greater than 180 degrees, you may need to measure the angle from 360 to your line, and then subtract that from 360 degrees in order to calculate the bearing.

Common errors

A common error with directions is forgetting to use the Never eat Soggy Weetbix ryhme and getting the north, south, east and west labels in the wrong points on the compass.

For bearings, common errors are:

not placing the protractor on the starting point for determining the bearing of the second point
not placing the protractor with zero pointing north as indicated by the orientation on the map
incorrectly calculating a bearing when it is greater than 180 degrees. If the direction is between south and north on the western side, the bearing must be greater than 180 degrees and less than 360 degrees.

How is this tested or examined?

Compass directions can be tested with short answer or multiple choice questions, often with two points on a map, and asking for the direction of point A from point B. This requires you to consider you are standing at point B, and then consider which point of the compass you would need to walk towards in order to get to point B.

For bearings, again this can be tested with short answer or multiple choice questions. Commonly a map will be provided with two points, and students will be asked what bearing point A is from point B. This will require regard to the direction of North on the map, placement of the protractor on point B, aligned with zero degrees pointing to North, and then reading the bearing clockwise around the protractor.

Answers for bearings should be expressed in degrees, ie “325 degrees” is the correct answer.