PNTC COLLEGES

Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

COURSE CODE Nav 101B PRE-REQUISITE

COURSE TITLE Terrestrial & Coastal SEMESTER 2nd Semester
Navigation 1
UNITS YEAR LEVEL 1st year
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course covers the requirements in Chapter II of the 1978 STCW
Convention, as amended, in Table A-II/1 of section A-II/1 and Table A-II/2 of
Section A-II/2. This course provides the background knowledge to support the
following main topics arranged by chapter: The Electronic Position Fixing
System, Use of Information from Navigational Equipment for Maintaining a
Safe Navigational Watch, Echo-Sounders, Compass – Magnetic and Gyro, The
Principles of the Magnetic Compass and their Correction, The Principles and
Errors of Gyro Compasses and Systems Under the Control of the Master Gyro
and the Operation and care of the main types of Gyro Compasses.

WEEKLY CONTENT TOPIC TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOMES ACTIVITIES

Module 1 (Week 1) 1.1 Definitions - Earth

Great Circle (1) Define great circle, small circle, Engage:

A great circle is defined as any circle spherical angle, spherical triangle, 1. What are the advantages and
drawn on a globe (or another sphere) poles of a great circle disadvantages of great circle
with a center that includes the center of (2) Define earth’s poles, equator and sailing at sea?
the globe. Thus, a great circle divides the meridians
globe into two equal halves. Since they (3) Define latitude and parallels of Explore:
must follow the circumference of the latitude, prime meridian and 1. Search for a map and identify
longitude the parallels of latitude and
Earth to divide it, great circles are about
(4) Define latitude and difference of parallels of longitude. (3)(4)
40,000 kilometers (24,854 miles) in
longitude
length along meridians. At the equator, (5) Describe the earth as an ellipsoid Explain & Elaborate:
though, a great circle is a little bit longer (6) Define compression and its value Discussion of the lesson with
as the Earth is not a perfect sphere. (7) Define international nautical mile, power point presentation or
cable and knot video presentation.
The most famous use of great circles in
geography is for navigation because they Evaluate:
represent the shortest distance between 1. Differentiate the Great Circle
two points on a sphere. Due to the from the Small Circle. (1)
earth's rotation, sailors and pilots using 2. Differentiate the Equator
great circle routes must constantly from the Prime Meridian. (2)
adjust their route as the heading (3)
changes over long distances. The only 3. Is the Equator and Prime
places on Earth where the heading does Meridian great circles?
not change is on the equator or when Explain. (1)(2)(3)
4. How many miles are there in
traveling due north or south.
a 57 cable length.(7)

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 PNTC COLLEGES
Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

Small Circle Extend:

The only line of latitude, or parallel, 1. Why do seafarers prefer great
characterized as a great circle is the circle sailing from the other
equator because it passes through the types of sailing?
exact center of the Earth and divides it in 2. What are the disadvantages of
half. Lines of latitude north and south of great circle sailing?
the equator are not great circles because
their length decreases as they move
toward the poles and they do not pass
through Earth's center. As such, these
parallels are considered small circles.

Spherical Angle and Triangle

A spherical angle is a particular dihedral
angle; it is the angle between two
intersecting arcs of great circles on a
sphere. It is measured by the angle
between the planes containing the arcs
(which naturally also contain the centre
of the sphere).

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

Any section made by a cutting plane that

passes through a sphere is circle. A great
circle is formed when the cutting plane
passes through the center of the sphere.
Spherical triangle is a triangle bounded
by arc of great circles of a sphere.

Poles of a Great Circle

The North & South Poles are where this
axis meets the Earth's surface. The
equator lies midway between them.

The equator is an example of a great

circle: one whose plane passes through
the centre of the sphere.
Every great circle has two poles. We can
define these:
(a) as the points which are 90° away
from the circle, on the surface of the
sphere.
(b) as the points where the
perpendicular to the plane of the great
circle cuts the surface of the sphere.
These two definitions are equivalent. (1)

Earth’s Geographical Poles

A geographical pole or geographic pole
is either of the two points on Earth
where its axis of rotation intersects its
surface. The North Pole lies in the Arctic
Ocean while the South Pole is in
Antarctica. North and South poles are

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 PNTC COLLEGES
Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

also defined for other planets or

satellites in the Solar System, with a
North pole being on the same side of the
invariable plane as Earth's North pole.

Equator and Meridian

The Equator is the imaginary line around
the middle of the Earth. The term
‘equator’ generally refers to a line (not a
real one) drawn around a sphere or
planet. The Earth’s Equator is halfway
between the North Pole and the South
Pole, at 0° latitude. Moreover, the
Equator divides the Earth into Northern
hemisphere and Southern hemisphere.

A (geographic) meridian (or line of

longitude) is the half of an imaginary
great circle on the Earth's surface,
terminated by the North Pole and the
South Pole, connecting points of equal
longitude, as measured in angular
degrees east or west of the Prime
Meridian. (2)

Latitude and Parallels of Latitude

Circles parallel to the Equator (lines
running east and west) are parallels of
latitude. They are used to measure
degrees of latitude north or south of the
Equator.

Longitude & Prime Meridian

Meridians of longitude are drawn from
the North Pole to the South Pole and are
at right angles to the Equator. The
“Prime Meridian” which passes through
Greenwich, England, is used as the zero

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

line from which measurements are

made in degrees east and west to 180°.

The Prime Meridian is the imaginary line

drawn north to south at 0° longitude. It
is the starting point for measuring
distance both west and east around the
Earth. (3)

Difference of Longitude
The smaller angle at the pole or the
shorter arc of a parallel between the
meridians of two places, expressed in
angular measure. (4)

Earth as an Ellipsoid
Since it has been determined that the
earth is oblate not only in the direction
of its poles but also about its equator,
although only very slightly, an ellipsoid
with three unequal axes, the smallest of
which coincides with the earth’s axis of
rotation, is sometimes used in

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 PNTC COLLEGES
Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

theoretical calculations. The dimensions

of the earth ellipsoid and its location in
the body of the earth are determined
from degree measurements,
measurements of the force of gravity,
and observations of artificial satellites of
the earth. Knowledge of the dimensions
of the earth ellipsoid is necessary for the
theoretical practical aims of geodesy and
cartography, as well as for other
branches of science and technology. (5)

Earth’s Compression
Earth’s compression is the ratio of the
difference between the equatorial and
polar radii to the equatorial radius. Its
value is approximately ¼97—the
difference between the equatorial and
polar diameter is about 27 miles. (6)

International Nautical Mile

A nautical mile is a unit of measurement
used on water by sailors and/or
navigators in shipping and aviation. It is
the average length of one minute of one
degree along a great circle of the Earth.
One nautical mile corresponds to one
minute of latitude. Thus, degrees of
latitude are approximately 60 nautical
miles apart. By contrast, the distance of
nautical miles between degrees of
longitude is not constant because lines
of longitude become closer together as
they converge at the poles.

Cable
A cable length is the length of a ship's
cable, about 600 feet where a nautical
mile is 10 cable lengths.

Knot
A knot is the measure of speed on water.
One knot is 1 nautical mile per hour. (7)

References:

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

Great Circles—Definition and Examples in Geography (thoughtco.com); Spherical angle - Wikipedia; Spherical
Trigonometry | Review at MATHalino; Positional Astronomy: The terrestrial Sphere (st-and.ac.uk); What is the
Difference Between Equator and Prime Meridian - Pediaa.Com; Meridian (geography) - Wikipedia; Difference
of longitude | Article about difference of longitude by The Free Dictionary; Earth Ellipsoid | Article about Earth
Ellipsoid by The Free Dictionary; How Are Nautical Miles Measured?; Nautical Measurement
(factmonster.com);

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