The idea

Bearings & back bearings

The three rules of a bearing, measuring from North at each new point, the ±180° back-bearing rule, and combining bearings with right-angled trigonometry to find distances and directions.

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Geometry & measures · Bearings

Bearings & back bearings

The three rules of a bearing, measuring from North at each new point, the ±180° back-bearing rule, and combining bearings with right-angled trigonometry to find distances and directions.

Why it works

Three rules, no exceptions

A bearing has exactly three rules. It is measured

from North,
clockwise,
and written with three figures — so $60°$ is written $060°$ and $8°$ is written $008°$ .

The three-figure rule is not decoration: dropping the leading zero loses the accuracy mark on its own.

The North line moves with you

The bearing of $B$ from $A$ is measured at

A

, from the North line drawn at $A$ . The bearing of $A$ from $B$ is measured at

B

, from a different North line. Reading "the bearing of

B

from

A

" backwards is the classic misread — the point after "from" is where you stand and where the North line goes.

Keep reading — free

The rest of the explanation, plus 2 worked examples you step through move by move.

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