🔍 Key Concepts

• True heading vs. magnetic heading definitions • The meaning of variation in navigation • Difference between variation and deviation

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: What natural phenomenon makes the direction shown on a magnetic compass different from true north? • Which term applies to errors caused by the ship’s own magnetic fields and metal structure, rather than the Earth itself? • When converting between true and magnetic headings, which named angle do you add or subtract first?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on the definition of true north vs. magnetic north • Confirm which term is defined as the angle between true north and magnetic north at a given location • Do not confuse errors of the compass (like deviation or compass error) with the fundamental difference between true and magnetic directions