The card has the 360 degrees marked on it. This is connected to the compass magnet, such that under steady state conditions the 360/000 mark aligns with magnetic north.
The kind of compass that we are talking about does not have a moving needle. Instead it has a fixed mark that is aligned with the nose of the aircraft.
So if the card moves anticlockwise the indication increases.
In this question the aircraft is heading west so the needle is intially pointing at 270.
When the card rotates anticlockise this increases the degree markings that line up with the needle. In reality the needle and the aircraft nose are still pointing to the west, but the heading indication has increased. So it looks like heading is increasing towards the north.
Last edited by keith williams; 7th Aug 2012 at 22:49.