Skip to main content

This link is exclusively for students and staff members within this organisation.

Unauthorised use will lead to account termination.

Next

Isotopes of hydrogen: 1H, 2H…what next?

Viking navigation

The Vikings’ centuries-long mastery of the north Atlantic is legendary. They sailed as far west as Canada, yet they had no magnetic compasses, clocks or sextants. How did they do it at a time when most other seafarers rarely ventured out of sight of land?

The terms in bold link to topics in the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and CCEA A-level specifications, as well as the IB, Pre-U and SQA exam specifications.

The Vikings navigated using a Sun compass. On cloudy days, they used a crystal that analysed the polarised light coming from the sky by a phenomenon known as double refraction.

Your organisation does not have access to this article.

Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise

Subscribe

Next

Isotopes of hydrogen: 1H, 2H…what next?

Related articles: