Bearings: Meaning, Examples, and Questions

Bearings are an essential concept in navigation. and geometry, commonly used to indibe directions and angles in real-world applications.

In this lesson you will learn what bearings are. You will also learn how to draw, measure, and calculate bearings (with lots of examples to practice).

What is a Bearing?

A bearing is an angle measured clockwise from the north direction.

Bearings are expressed with three digits, so they range from 000° (due north) to 360° (back to north).

For example, a bearing of 045° points northeast, 090° points east, and 180° points south. This system makes it easy to communicate directions accurately.

How to Draw a Bearing

  1. Identify the North direction: Start from a line pointing north, as bearings are measured clockwise from this point.
  2. Measure clockwise: Measure the angle clockwise from the north line to the desired direction.
  3. Express the angle in three digits: Ensure the bearing is written as a three-figure number (e.g., 035° instead of 35°).

Examples of Drawing Bearings

Example 1:

Draw a bearing of 060°

Method:

Calculating Bearings

In order to calculate bearings you need to know basic angle facts including angles around a point, angles on a straight line, and angles in parallel lines.

Some question also require knowledge of trigonometry.

How to Calculate Bearings

  1. Identify the point that the bearing begins from.
  2. From this point, face north and turn clockwise until you are facing the second point.
  3. You have now identified the angle to be calculated.

  4. Use angle facts to calculate this missing angle.
  5. Write the answer as a 3 digit bearing.
  6. If the size of the angle is less than 100, write 0 before the number.

Examples of Calculating Bearings

Example 1:

Calculate:

a) The bearing of B from A

b) The bearing of A from B

Bearing Example 1

Ready to practise some GCSE bearings questions?