Unit2 Sailing the oceans--period1 Warming up and reading.ppt

1 What is a navigator? 2 What is the difference between a navigator and an explorer? 3 Look at these famous people. Are they navigators or explorers? What do you know about them? Navigator is someone who finds the position and plots the course of a ship, an aircraft, a car, etc, using maps and instruments. Explorer is someone who travels into or through a place in order to learn about it. 1 How do you think seamen found their way before modern accurate methods of navigation were invented? 2 Which do you think was easier to work out: latitude or longitude? 3 Can you identify these early navigational instruments seamen used and explain how they are used? 1 _________________________ 2 _________ 3 _________ 4 ________________________ 4 Which ones do you think are still used today? SAILING THE OCEANS 1 What is the use of a bearing circle, astrolabe, quadrant or sextant? ( ) What is the use of a compass? ( ) A to set the course of the ship B to measure the position of the ship C to measure the speed of the ship D to tell the time Speed and time are important in finding out the longitude of a ship because the earth moves fifteen degrees westwards every hour. If you know your direction, speed and time, you can work out the approximate longitude or change in your position in relation to the stars. The position of the sun and stars are useful for working out latitude because they are fixed points in the sky and their movements in relation to the earth are already known. So they can be used to measure a ships position. The sailors would need to be excellent navigators, able to cope with both hot and cold weather, experienced in sailing through very bad weather and able to co-operate in a team. I would anticipate very hot weather (around the equator), cold weather (around the Cape of Good Hope), very stormy seas (arou