compass without direction
April 30, 2011 6:58 AM Subscribe
is there a term for when a compass is going haywire and cant find a direction or at least for when the needle spins around?
sometimes i see this in movies and realized i had no idea what this is called.
sometimes i see this in movies and realized i had no idea what this is called.
Hmm, a quick glance at TVTropes.org doesn't show anything about the spinning compass trope, usually a visual indicator os something spooky going on.
Here's your opportunity to start up a new page on that wiki! Maybe call it the Spinny Compass Trope.
posted by chengjih at 7:19 AM on April 30, 2011
Here's your opportunity to start up a new page on that wiki! Maybe call it the Spinny Compass Trope.
posted by chengjih at 7:19 AM on April 30, 2011
("Disorient" is literally: "To cause to lose one's bearings." Probably your best fit since compass navigation is commonly called "orienteering.")
posted by Rhaomi at 7:22 AM on April 30, 2011
posted by Rhaomi at 7:22 AM on April 30, 2011
"Magnetic anomaly"? That's not really what magnetic anomaly means, but it's a pretty evocative term.
posted by Nomyte at 7:48 AM on April 30, 2011
posted by Nomyte at 7:48 AM on April 30, 2011
Your question reminds me of Captain William R. Anderson's phrase when commanding the USS Nautilus under the North Pole and considering the possibility of losing inertial navigation (with star fixes already impossible due to the ice sheet overhead): "longitudinal roulette." Perhaps the compass version could be called "directional roulette" or "compass roulette."
posted by Mapes at 9:31 AM on April 30, 2011
posted by Mapes at 9:31 AM on April 30, 2011
"let's make some shit up"
It's part of an Eldritch Location.
posted by anaelith at 1:25 PM on April 30, 2011
It's part of an Eldritch Location.
posted by anaelith at 1:25 PM on April 30, 2011
If you look through the google results for compass anomaly you'll find lots of research (ranging from hard science to paranormal) about circumstances in which compass needles spin erratically.
posted by amyms at 5:20 PM on April 30, 2011
posted by amyms at 5:20 PM on April 30, 2011
Response by poster: much much later. Apparently this can be caused by the magnetic rock, magnetite.
thanks for all of your answers.
posted by skwint at 1:55 AM on March 6, 2012
thanks for all of your answers.
posted by skwint at 1:55 AM on March 6, 2012
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Compasses don't behave that way. If a compass can't "find a direction" it's broken, as even interference will just cause it to point somewhere other than north.
posted by valkyryn at 7:07 AM on April 30, 2011 [2 favorites]