Bearings are used to determine accurate directions for navigation, mainly when flying planes. A bearing is the direction from one's location to a distant point, measured in degrees clockwise from north. Variation accounts for the difference between magnetic and true north, as charts use true north but compasses point to magnetic north. A course bearing is the direction followed to stay on a planned route, given in true or magnetic degrees, while accounting for variation.

1. BEARINGS
By: Dilshan 8B1

2. What are bearings?
Bearings are what we use to get accurate directions, to navigate
ourselves, mainly when flying planes.
For example, the bearing of point P is 065º which is the number of
degrees in the angle measured in a clockwise direction from the north
line to the line joining the centre of the compass at O with the
point P.

3. The 3 Terms
Course: A course is your planned paddling route. It’s usually
marked on a map, although you can also just make a mental
note. A course can be a straight line going from your point of
departure to your destination, or it might consist of two or
more legs. An example course shown in the image below
starts in Washington Harbour, turns to the northwest corner
of Rock Island and crosses to the South Bay of St. Martin
Island.

4. Bearings: A bearing is the direction from your location to
any distant point given in degrees from north. If you point
your compass at a distant lighthouse and the compass reads
56 degrees, then the bearing to the lighthouse is 56 degrees.
Read bearings in either true or magnetic.
Variation- In most parts of the world magnetic north, the
direction your compass points, is not equal to true north, the
direction to the north pole. Because, charts are aligned to
true north, you must translate any bearings you take with
your compass to true north before you can transfer them to
a map, and you must adjust any course bearings taken from
the chart to magnetic north. To do this, find the chart’s
compass rose.

5. Course Bearing: The course bearing is the bearing you’ll
follow to stay on a leg of a course. For example, the course
bearing from “B” to “C” is 71 degrees true and 75 degrees
magnetic. The course bearing from “C” to “D” is 30 degrees
true and 34 degrees magnetic. To follow a bearing, point your
kayak so your compass reads the course bearing and then
paddle while keeping your compass pointed at that
bearing. When marking a course bearing on your chart, you
can mark true, magnetic or both.
Kayak

6. STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND ABOUT
BEARINGS? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO THEN!

7. LET’S ANSWER
SOME
QUESTIONS!

8. Q1. A captain is sailing on his ship, The Titanic(x), and all
of a sudden, there’s an iceberg(y) in front of the ship 5
metres away in the bearing of 020. The ship turns away
from the iceberg in a bearing of 090 then goes to the
coast(c) 10 metres away. Draw a map of this.

9. Q2. Try to guess the bearings of these diagrams:
N N
N N
a. b.
c. d.
071
125
194
316

10. IT’S TIME FOR
THE QUIZ!

11. Q1. What are bearings?
1. Bearings are what we use to navigate ourselves
through space.
2. Bearings are simply ways of giving accurate
directions.
3. Bearings are ways to navigate ourselves
through the ocean.
4. Bearings are rings Bears where when they get
married.

14. Q2. How many digits are used
when writing down bearings?
1. 2 digits
2. 4 digits
3. 3 digits
4. 1 digit

17. Q3. What are the bearings of the
compass points?
1. North=000/360, East=090, South=180,
West=270
2. North=000, East=090, South=180, West=270
3. North=090, East=180, South=270, West=360
4. North=360, East=090, South=180, West=270

20. Q4. Who mainly uses bearings?
1. Kids uses it when they get lost in school, somehow.
2. Car drivers uses it to navigate themselves around
the city.
3. Divers uses it to navigate themselves through the
ocean.
4. Pilots uses it to navigate themselves while they’re
flying the plane.

23. Q5. Which is the correct diagram
of bearings?
N
E
S
W
360
270
180
090
N
S
E W
360
180
270 090
N
S
W E
360/000
270 090
180
a. b.
c.

26. THANKS FOR WATCHING
THIS POWERPOINT AND I
HOPE YOU LEARNT A LOT
ABOUT BEARINGS!