E/W V 360degree

[michael_99]

Why do we use east or west of 0 degree instead of using the whole 360 degree . Why 175 degree east instead of just 185 degree.
Does anyone know a senseble reason for this, I can't think of any. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[macca]

Well.... it's the poms as usual. They decided years ago, even before Capt. Cook that zero should be London and go up in either direction. We all know of course that it should be based from Australia, but try convincing evrybody else of that!

 

[boomerangben]

You can't blame us Poms for this one, it was the Greeks.....and the first o meridian passed through Rhodes.

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Longitude1.html

 

[gjeffery]

Not sure that I understand the question. Are you asking why we measure WCB's clockwise from north/south?

I once worked in a ship where the magnetic steering compass was calibrated in quarter points, as well as Whole Circle Bearings. Otherwise, I have worked entirely in WCB, although occasionally in the southern hemisphere, related to south. Quadrant bearings are inevitable when calculating rectangular coordinates.

 

[dulcibella]

I think that the astronomers use the sensible convention that you suggest - it's probably because numbers over 200 scare sailors.

 

[michael_99]

gjeffery.

The reason that I'm asking, is that I'm at the moment playing around with SEACLEAR AND OZIEXPLORER, and they both state, that when calibrating scanned charts, you can't cross the date line.You must specify east or west.
Calibrating a chart with the DATE LINE running down the middle won't work.
Sorry, but what does WCB stand for?
I'm new to all this navigation, so all those avibriations( hope I got that one right) means little to me.
Please help me change my SMILEY /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Aardee]

WCB = Whole Circle Bearing

 

[BobPrell]

Michael_99 appears to be talking about longitude. The E/W convention is useful in that it relates location to some well-known point. When navigators begin to study celestial navigation, they learn to convert the E/W notation into GHA(Greenwich Hour Angle), in which longitude is measured all the way round. Greenwich Hour Angle must be on the short list of silliest names in mathematics. Whole circle angle sounds better to me, I must start using it.

 

[kds]

Nobody expects Australians to think of "a sensible reason".
Ken