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解析:Compass
China's long history has witnessed some extremely important inventions, among which the compass is one of them. According to ancient records, people in remote antiquity employed natural magnet as direction-finding device in their production and struggle efforts. During the Warring States Period, there appeared the earliest form of compass--sinan (a south-pointing ladle ), consisting of a brass plate on which 24 directions were carved and a ladle made from a single piece of natural magnet. In the Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo described in his book Dream Pool Essays the floating compass, which enabled the compass to be applied in navigation for the first time. The invention of the compass promoted the development of maritime undertakings, and it was soon introduced to Europe via Arab,