by The Open University
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In the following subsections, we apply the vector ideas introduced so far to displacements and velocities. The examples will feature directions referred to points of the compass, known as bearings.
The direction of Leeds relative to Bristol can be described as ‘15° to the East of due North?, or N 15° E. This is an instance of a bearing. Directions on the ground are typically given like this, in terms of the directions North (N), South (S), East (E) and West (W). For a direction other than N, S, E or W, the conventional notation for bearings involves starting from either North or South, and then specifying an angle (up to 90°) towards the East or West. The possibilities that arise are illustrated by specific examples in Figure 9.
Figure 9 Examples of bearingsLong descriptionOften N 45° E is replaced by NE (North-East), and similarly for N 45° W (North-West), S 45° E (South-East) and S 45° W (South-West).
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