Question

Mention 3 ways of navigation in the ancient past. Explain how they helped in navigation.

Answer 1

Instructions: Name the 3 ways of navigation in the past and tell why it was not a reliable method

Solution:

• The three ways of navigation in the past were:
  1. Birds: Some early seafarers navigated by watching the flight of birds. A sea bird with a fish in its mouth was most likely flying back toward land to eat its catch, while a bird with an empty beak was likely flying out to sea to fish. Sailors on open waters followed seabirds back to the shore.Some explorers used to carry birds in cages back then. They would release one of the birds when they thought the land is near. If the bird came back to the ship then they knew that there was no land nearby. If the bird didn’t return, it would be safe to assume that the bird has found land, so they follow the direction the bird flew and eventually they too will find the land.
  2. Stars: In the case of stars Navigators must be familiar with the different constellations at different times of the year, as well as the different constellations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. With the help of their relative positions, they used to estimate their locations.
  3. Size of Waves: In the case of waves sailors used to witness the size of waves. In general, the size of the waves of the ocean increases in its height when it is near the land.This is because near the land the depth is less and thus waves rise high to compensate for the shallowness of the sea.