NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Teaching a Running Fix
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2009 Dec 12, 18:26 -0600
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2009 Dec 12, 18:26 -0600
I would love to see that. Tsult@mac.com Thanks Thomas A. Sult, MD Sent from iPhone On Dec 12, 2009, at 15:03, Lu Abelwrote: > Joe: > > I've taught this many times. The way I explain it to my students > is to > tell them to imagine that at the time of the first bearing the sighted > object suddenly clones. One of the clones stays in the original > position. The other clone moves on exactly the same course and at > exactly the same speed as the vessel. I demonstrate to them that the > bearing to the moving clone stays the same as the vessel advances, but > the position of the bearing line moves along with the vessel. You > then > take a second bearing back to the original object and cross the two. > Most of them say the image of the clone of the lighthouse moving along > with the vessel helps them understand the (not naturally intuitive) > concept of advancing a line of position. > > In fact, I put this into a set of PowerPoints that won a national > award > from the US Power Squadrons. I can send you a copy off-line if you > desire (or, if there is demand, I can post it in the archives)\ > > I work in high-tech and have lived in high-tech areas (first Boston > and > now Silicon Valley) and my classes have always been a challenging > combination of engineers and other way less mathematically proficient > people. Teach currents? The engineers say "easy, it's vector math, > let's go on to the next topic" while the others' eyes glaze over.... > So I've always found a challenge in explaining concepts (like running > fixes) in ways that won't bore the engineers while helping get the > non-engineers on board. > > Lu Abel > > joseph_schultz@rrv.net wrote: >> A challenge, in the spirit of the intention of this list, which is >> the promotion of the use of traditional navigation techniques. >> >> You're tutoring a small group of new navigators. Normal people, >> ranging in age from 12 to "retired." >> >> Here's what they can do on a paper chart/map: >> 1. Plot a track. >> 2. Plot and label DR positions, using >> >> distance = speed x time >> >> 3. Plot and label a line-of-position to a visual object, >> understanding that it take two or more simultaneous LOPs to >> constitute a fix. >> >> Your mission, if you choose to accept: close the schoolbook. >> Explain, in words your students can understand, the concept of a >> running fix. >> >> No grades, no judgement. I'm interested in learning how you'd >> teach it. >> >> Joe >> >> > > -- > NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc > Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com > To , email NavList+@fer3.com -- NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com