Cardinal direction

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cardinal-direction

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the orthogonal reference system?Cardinal directions provide a fundamental, perpendicular framework for spatial orientation
2. What are the cardinal directions and why are they important?The cardinal directions are North, South, East, and West. They help us find our way on maps, in everyday travel, and in many kinds of science and engineering.
3. How do we know which way is North?We can find North by using a compass that follows Earth’s magnetic field, or by looking at the star Polaris in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun also rises in the East and sets in the West, giving a simple clue.

Diurnal Motion: The apparent daily movement of celestial bodies across the sky due to Earth's rotation.
Magnetic Declination: The angle on the horizontal plane between magnetic north and true north.
Cartography: The science or practice of drawing maps.