|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
deviation
deviation, an error of a magnetic compass caused by the ship's own residual magnetism. If a ship had no residual magnetism, the needle of the magnetic compass would point directly along the earth's magnetic meridian, but as every modern ship has metal fittings which affect the compass, there is always some error. Deviation varies according to the heading of the ship because, as a ship changes course, the metal in it changes its position in relation to the compass as the ship swings round. Deviation is therefore read off for every quarter point (about 4°) as the ship is swung through 360° and is tabulated on a deviation card so that it can be applied, together with variation, to every compass course or bearings. Deviation can rarely be completely eliminated, though it can be reduced by the use of soft iron balls, known as Kelvin spheres (see Thomson, William), mounted on each side of the compass, and by bar magnets, called Flinders bars, placed in the binnacle below the compass bowl.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"deviation." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "deviation." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-deviation.html "deviation." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-deviation.html |
|
deviation
de·vi·a·tion / ˌdēvēˈāshən/ • n. 1. the action of departing from an established course or accepted standard: deviation from a norm sexual deviation | deviations from standard English. 2. Statistics the amount by which a single measurement differs from a fixed value such as the mean. 3. the deflection of a vessel’s compass needle caused by iron in the vessel, which varies with the vessel’s heading. DERIVATIVES: de·vi·a·tion·ism / -ˌizəm/ n. de·vi·a·tion·ist / -ist/ n. |
|
|
Cite this article
"deviation." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "deviation." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-deviation.html "deviation." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-deviation.html |
|
deviation
deviation (dee-vi-ay-shŏn) n.
1. (in ophthalmology) any abnormal position of one or both eyes. Deviations of both eyes may occur in brain disease. Deviations of one eye come into the category of squint (see strabismus). dissociated vertical d. an acquired condition, chiefly associated with infantile esotropia (convergent strabismus), in which one eye looks upwards when it is covered. 2. see sexual deviation. |
|
|
Cite this article
"deviation." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "deviation." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-deviation.html "deviation." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-deviation.html |
|
deviation
deviation n. the deflection of a vessel’s compass needle caused by iron in the vessel, which varies with the vessel’s heading.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"deviation." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "deviation." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-deviation.html "deviation." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-deviation.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
