Mahumot, Damien Miguel A.

GED104 – B21

IPM 1

Around the 4th century BC, primitive compasses first arose in China, functioned as direction
designators, which the Chinese used to organize environments and lifestyles. Made with lodestone,
the first mention of a compass and its use is found in the Book of the Devil Valley Master.

References:
https://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/compass2.html

https://nationalmaglab.org/education/magnet-academy/history-of-electricity-
magnetism/museum/early-chinese-compass
Checkpoint Questions:
a. What is the invention?
- The invention is the first compass invented in China and in the world. It is not only the type of
compass we use today to navigate people throughout the globe but also a compass used to
keep their lives and environment in order. Chinese compasses were invented for more than
just helping people find their way when traveling. Compasses were originally developed for
aligning buildings with directions (north, south, east, or west), and as a tool used in fortune-
telling.

b. What are the precursors of your chosen invention? What tools existed prior to it or how did
people carry out activities before its invention?
- Observing landmarks or the direction of the sun and stars were the oldest methods of
navigating. Only a few ancient sailors braved the wide sea. Instead, they navigated by sailing
within sight of land. When this proved impossible, ancient sailors used constellations to
determine their whereabouts.

c. What were the social, political, cultural, or economic contexts in which the invention was made?
- People needed a way to determine the best way to live their life. Similar to Feng Shui, this
compass helped to preserve Chinese traditions. Back then, the Chinese used lodestones
(which align themselves in a north-south direction) to construct fortune-telling boards.
Eventually, someone noticed that the lodestones were better at pointing out real directions,
which led to the creation of the first compasses.

d. What were the social, political, cultural, or economic impacts of your chosen invention?
- You would have a good life with good health and a lot of wealth if your home or business was
positioned in the appropriate direction. This practice is now known as feng shui. The fortune-
tellers would use a fortune-telling board with a lodestone to give you the information you
needed if you wanted to know the best time and location to get married or have a burial.