Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1918 — The Magnetic Compass. [ARTICLE]

The Magnetic Compass.

Experiments with magnets known to the scientists 2,500 years ago, which, developed by Doctor Gilbert and Peter Perigrlnus, led up to the present-day admiralty compass of Kelvin, were shown' recently by Prof. J. A. Fleming, professor of electrical engineering, University of London, at the Royal institute, “The earth is a magnet,” said the professor, “and every piece of iron that has stood in a vertical position for any length of time is magnetized by the earth. You can try it on your garden railings.” The hostelry sign, “XThe Goat and Compass,” he said, “does not refer to the mariner’s friend, but is a contraction of the saying, “God encompasses ils,” and the compass takes its name, not from the magnetism which governs Its working, but from the circular card which encompasses the needje.