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What is a bearing?
A bearing is a way of specifying the direction from one point to another point using an angle measure. The angle is measured in degrees (°), and for a bearing it is always measured going clockwise from due north. So something due east of you would be at a bearing of 090° from you. Similarly, due south is a bearing of 180°, due west is a bearing of 270°, and due north is a bearing of either 000° or 360°.
You should also know how to reverse a bearing. If the bearing from A to B is X, then the bearing from B to A is either X+180° or X-180° (whichever one gives you an answer between 000° and 360°).
When bearings appear in exam questions, it is often as a way to introduce a question about angles, trigonometry, or some other geometry topic.
How many digits are there in a bearing?
Note that bearings are always given in 3 digits. So, for example, even though east is 90 degrees clockwise from north, as a bearing you should give that as 090°.
Bearings Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams
For more details, see our revision notes on Bearings. You can also have a go at our related exam questions and flashcards to test your understanding. Don’t forget to check out the past papers for more general exam revision.
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Written by Roger B
Maths6 articlesRoger's teaching experience stretches all the way back to 1992, and in that time he has taught students at all levels between Year 7 and university undergraduate. Having conducted and published postgraduate research into the mathematical theory behind quantum computing, he is more than confident in dealing with mathematics at any level the exam boards might throw at you.
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