3 ms·
you don't need an initial heading measurement but you still need to know where you are
by hamiltonkibbe 11y ago
you don't need an initial heading measurement but you still need to know where you are
- darkmighty 11y agoIt would suffice to know the radius of the planet and it's rate of rotation.
- hamiltonkibbe 11y agoUsing only a compass and the knowledge that you were somewhere on the planet earth, could you determine the shortest route from your locations to Chicago?
- darkmighty 11y agoAh I thought you were referring to the gyrocompass functionality. Yes, for general navigation you need an initial position to determine your position from inertial measurement alone (as I said, you can determine orientation and latitude, but not longitude).