ORIENTEERING I.E.S. JUANA DE CASTILLA ORIENTEERING. 3rd E.S.O. SECOND TERM P.E. DEPARTMENT

Transcription

1 3rd E.S.O. SECOND TERM 1

2 Orientation is the set of systems that allows us to recognize at all times: The situation of the cardinal points The place where we are The direction to take to reach the desired location To locate a position we have to relate it to something that is usually the North, so all our efforts will be directed to your location. To learn bearings must be able to determine the cardinal points: North, South, East and West. 1.- NATURAL METHODS OF ORIENTATION THE SUN: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. When the sun is at its highest point its rays point south. If you stretch your right arm out in the direction of where the sun rises towards the east- you will have a rough idea of where the North is, along with the other cardinal points. THE MOON: In waxing moon the tips are rotating to the East and in waning crescent moon to the west VEGETATION: Moss and vegetation are generally more abundant on the northern side The section of a tree trunk indicates the North-South direction; the closer together its rings are, indicates North The snow disappears before in the southern slopes than in the northern slopes. The ice is harder in the northern face. THE STARS: At night, the Polar Star (North Star) marks the northern direction. In order to locate it, we need to look for the Big Dipper and then, you have to extend five times the distance between the A and B stars. The star which coincides with the end of this prolongation will be the Polar Star which is easily recognized because of its great brilliance. Moreover, this star coincides with the last star tail of the Little Dipper. 2.- WHAT IS? Orienteering is a competitive international sport that combines racing with navigation. It is a timed race in which individual participants use a specially created map to select routes and navigate through diverse and often unfamiliar terrain and visit control points in sequence. Races also can be enjoyed as a walk in the woods, with difficulty levels from beginner to expert offered at most events. A standard orienteering race consists of: - a start (marked by a triangle) - a series of control sites that are marked by circles, connected by lines and numbered in the order they are to be visited - and a finish (marked by a double circle) 2

3 - Out in the terrain, a control flag (white and orange) marks the location that the orienteer must visit. Competitors receive a CONTROL DESCRIPTION SHEET or CLUE SHEET which gives a precise description of the feature and the location of the flag. To verify a visit, the orienteer may use a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her CONTROL CARD. Each competitor has to present it at the start and hand it at the finish of the race. Different punches make different patterns of holes in the paper. Many clubs now use electronic "punching" instead, using a finger stick with a chip inside it that records your time at each control you visit. The control card is marked by some means at each control point to show that the competitor has completed the course correctly. Most events now use electronic punching, although cards and needle punches are still widely used. The route between "controls" is not specified, and is entirely up to the orienteer; this element of route choice and the ability to navigate through the forest are the essence of orienteering. 3.- RULES IN THE RACES The competitors should keep silence during the orienteering race. Following another competitor taking advantage of his/her orientated sense is not allowed. Doing the race or a part of it with another competitor is not allowed. The assistance, in case of accident, to each other is compulsory. You have to do the control points in order. A competitor who pulls out of the race has to notify organizing committee. He/she can t help other competitors. Private property, crops and reforestation areas must be respected. The competitor who finishes his/her race can t reveal any information about it. 4.- THE MAP The map is the graphic representation, drawn to scale, of the Earth s surface. It is valuable item, which helps us get our bearings and know where we are, identify the lie of the land, or calculate the distance between different places. There are several different types of map. To go hiking we use topographic maps. On every map there is a key or information in the margin, which explains the conventional signs and colours used, the scale, legend, THE SCALE The scale is the relationship between the size of the map and the terrain as it really is. The NUMERICAL SCALE is expressed as a fraction: S=map/terrain SCALE 1: The numerator is the unit, and the denominator is the number that indicates how many times 3

4 bigger the terrain is than the map. For example, 1: means that one metre on the map is equivalent to meters on the terrain. Thus, 1 cm on the map represents 150 meter in reality. The SCALE BAR is the geometric representation of a numerical scale. SYMBOLS: Different symbols appear in specific colour in order to identify the different characteristics and elements of a specific terrain: Brown: related to terrain Blue: area of water (streams, ditches, ponds, marshes ) Red: roads and urban areas Green: vegetation Black: artificial/man made areas (roads, tracks, paths, houses ) THE CONTOURS: The contours connect different points located at the same altitude. They are what would result from making an imaginary cut in several parallel at the same distance and transferring the lines of the perimeters on the map. The vertical distance between two contours is called EQUIDISTANCE LINE and can vary by: 5, 10, 20 meters. These provide information on the steepness of the slopes. When they are very close together, the slope is very steep, but if they are far apart, the slope is quite gentle. 5.- THE COMPASS The compass is a magnetic needle, placed on a base plate, one tip of which always points to the Earth s magnetic north. To give it a real use, you also need to have a map. The compass enables the map to be oriented accurately using the Earth s magnetic north as a reference, but it is mainly used to measure bearings. A bearing is an angle formed by a given direction and magnetic north. The most important bearings coincide with the four cardinal points and their intermediate points, which are indicated in degrees, from 0º to 360º. 5.1 PARTS OF A COMPASS The main parts of a compass are: 4

5 Scales/rulers: used to measure distance on the map. Direction of travel arrow: this is an arrow that is marked on the base plate. It guides the direction of travel while following a bearing in the field Orienting arrow: The orienting arrow is marked on the bottom of the housing and rotates with the housing. It allows the base plate to be aligned relative to the magnetic needle. To take a basic field bearing, the housing is turned until the orienting arrow and the magnetic needle are aligned. These two elements are then kept in alignment while following the bearing. Declination scale: declination is the difference, in age of degree, between magnetic north and the true north. Dial with degrees/graded Limbo (pat of housing): the dial is a part of the housing and is marked in two degree increments. When the dial is rotated, or the orienting arrow, declination scale and orienting lines also rotate as part of the housing. Index line: this is where bearing is read Magnetic needle: a magnetic strip of metal that is on a pivot in the centre of the housing. The north end is usually painted red, while the other end is often white or black. Orienting lines: These lines are marked on the bottom of the housing and rotate with it, the same as the orienting arrow. They are also often called meridian lines and north-south lines. When taking a bearing from a map, the orienting lines are aligned with the north-south map grid lines. Rotating housing: a liquid filled capsule that contains the magnetic needle. Orienting lines are etched on the bottom of the housing, and the dial is fixed to the top of the housing. The liquid helps dampen the needle movement, making it easier to get a more accurate reading. Base plate: The base plate is used to taking bearing on a map. The edge is placed between two points and the orienting lines and dial act as a protractor to give the bearing. The base plate is marked with scales, direction of travel arrow and index line. 6.- TECHNIQUES 6.1. TECHNIQUES WITH THE COMPASS TAKING A BEARING 5

6 A B C 1. Hold the compass level in front of you. 2. Turn the body until the red end of the magnetic needle is placed on the orienting arrow. Now you're facing a direction that marks the magnetic north (A). 3. To take a course or a bearing, for example, you want to walk on a bearing of 120º. First of all, you have to move the rotating housing until the 120 matches the direction arrow on the base (B). 4. Move your body and compass until the red end of the needle is placed back on the orienting arrow. The arrow direction of the base is telling you the new direction you should go (C). FINDING A BEARING: 1. Place the compass with the direction arrow indicating the point I want to go. 2. Turn the rotating housing until the orienting arrow in the box is below the red end of the magnetic needle. 3. The number shown at the beginning of the direction arrow indicates the bearing we want to go TECHNIQUES WITH THE MAP AND THE COMPASS FINDING A BEARING ON THE MAP 1. Find the two points on the map that you want to travel from and to. Line up your compass edge between the two points, so that your direction of your travel arrow is pointing to your destination. 2. Rotate the compass housing until the orienting lines in the centre are pointing to the top of your map. You can do this by lining them up parallel to the grid lines. 3. The number shown at the beginning of the direction arrow indicates the bearing you ll have to 6

7 take. MEASURE THE DISTANCE ON THE MAP 1. To measure the distance between two points you need a ruler. 2. Place it on each of the lines and measured from the centre of the circle. 3. Convert the centimetres to the real distances using for this the map scale. VOCABULARY KEY WORDS Deporte de Orientación TO ETCH Grabar CARDINAL POINTS Puntos cardinales TO DAMPEN Humedecer WAXING CRESCENT MOON Cuarto creciente ROTATING HOUSING Limbo WANING CRESCENT MOON Cuarto menguante TAKING BEARING Tomar un rumbo MOSS Musgo FINDING A BEARING Encontrar un rumbo SCALE Escala COMPASS ROSE / WIND ROSE / ROSE OF THE Rosa de los Vientos WINDS CONTOURS STEEPNESS GENTLE STEEP STREAM DITCH POND MARSH BEARING Curvas de nivel Lo escarpado Poco pronunciado Escarpado riachuelo acequia Estanque Pantano Buscar un rumbo 7

8 ROSE OF THE WINDS 8