2007-07-04 12:31:18 · 18 answers · asked by April T 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
A compass is a thing for showing north and south.
The thing for drawing circles, though very often called a compass, is properly called compasses, or a pair of compasses. It's like scissors, trousers, pants, binoculars or glasses -- the thing is a pair, so must be plural.
It's one of those words where the common use is technically or logically wrong, but so many people do it that the wrong use is becoming right.
Other examples include:
- dice -- ought to be plural only, with the singular being die.
- decimate, which means to destroy only ten percent of something. Commonly used instead of devastate to mean destroying most of something.
2007-07-04 20:35:49 · answer #1 · answered by richard_new_forester 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thing To Draw Circles
2017-01-17 11:57:48 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a compass, a divider, triangles 45 deg, 30, 60 deg, pencils hb and 4h, scale, t square, inking instruments, an eraser, these were the things i used in my technical drawing days, so it's a compass, used also by navigators
2007-07-04 18:16:48 · answer #3 · answered by jesem47 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's called a compass.
2007-07-04 12:35:08 · answer #4 · answered by Nick 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It'as called a compass
2007-07-04 12:34:42 · answer #5 · answered by RICHARD F 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
bow pencil compass
2007-07-04 12:42:05 · answer #6 · answered by jrb10dl 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
a compass
2007-07-04 12:35:09 · answer #7 · answered by mechnginear 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
its a compass u can get it at pretty much any supply store or cvs
2007-07-04 12:33:47 · answer #8 · answered by Rizzle 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
a compass
2007-07-04 12:33:13 · answer #9 · answered by ....... 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It is called a protractor, and they can also be made of plastic, or metal, etc, and look nothing like the one you are thinking about.
2007-07-04 13:59:30 · answer #10 · answered by haywoodwhy 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋