🔍 Key Concepts

• Gyrocompass vs. magnetic compass – what each one responds to and where each has limitations • How latitude (especially very high latitudes) affects gyro performance and error • The difference between heading error that is constant and error that changes with heading or latitude

💭 Think About

• Think about what a gyrocompass aligns with: does it try to point to magnetic north or true north? • Consider what happens to a gyrocompass as you move toward the poles – does its performance really stay unchanged? • Ask yourself whether all gyro errors are identical on every heading, or if some errors vary depending on course, speed, or latitude

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which instrument is affected by Earth’s magnetic field versus Earth’s rotation and gravity. • Check whether gyro error is known to change with latitude and with the ship’s course and speed. • Confirm if a statement claiming something is “the same everywhere” or “the same on all headings” matches what you know about how gyros really behave.