What material was the earliest recognized form of the magnetic compass—the South Pointing Spoon—crafted from?
Answer
Lodestone
The first recognizable forms of the device were fashioned entirely out of lodestone, which is a naturally magnetic form of the mineral magnetite.
Related Questions
What was the primary function of the earliest magnetic artifacts in Han Dynasty China?What material was the earliest recognized form of the magnetic compass—the South Pointing Spoon—crafted from?Which Song Dynasty polymath first recorded the observation of magnetic declination?What text contains the first incontestable reference to the magnetic compass used specifically for seafaring navigation?What major mechanical refinement, traditionally attributed to Flavio Gioja, modernized the compass by affixing the pointer to a rotating card?What mounting system was introduced to keep the compass bowl level regardless of a ship's pitch and roll?Which inventor patented a practical liquid mariner’s compass in 1813?Which American physicist patented a greatly improved liquid marine compass in 1862?In the Islamic world, the compass was notably adapted by al-Malik al-Ashraf for what religious observance?What specialized instrument aligns with true north, removing the need to calculate magnetic declination?