met·a·cen·ter

(mĕt′ə-sĕn′tər)

The point where an imaginary vertical line running through the center of buoyancy of a tilted floating body crosses the line that originally passed vertically through the body's center of buoyancy when it was at equilibrium.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

met•a•cen•ter

(ˈmɛt əˌsɛn tər)

n.

the intersection between two vertical lines, one through the center of buoyancy of a hull in equilibrium, the other through the center of buoyancy when the hull is inclined slightly to one side or toward one end.

[1785–95; < French métacentre]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

metacenter - (shipbuilding) the point of intersection between two vertical lines, one line through the center of buoyancy of the hull of a ship in equilibrium and the other line through the center of buoyancy of the hull when the ship is inclined to one side; the distance of this intersection above the center of gravity is an indication of the stability of the ship

metacentre

ship building, shipbuilding - the construction of ships

intersection, intersection point, point of intersection - a point where lines intersect

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References in periodicals archive

The vessel parameters are displacement D = 15001, length L = 98.0 m, beam B = 10.2 m, draft T = 3.1 m, metacenter height h = 1.15 m, and resonant period T = 7.8 s.

Design Fuzzy Input-Based Adaptive Sliding Mode Control for Vessel Lift-Feedback Fin Stabilizers with Shock and Vibration of Waves

However, some shortcomings have been recognized in catamarans, such as the high acceleration force due to the large transverse restoring force with excessive transverse metacenter height (TKM).

Nonlinear ship waves and computational fluid dynamics

For the first time, the United States, and New York specifically, became the metacenter of what was happening in the world of contemporary art.

Modern masters from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Ferreiro traces the pursuit of this emerging ship science through the work of key individuals, most notably Pierre Bouguer, the "father of naval architecture." The book also takes a topical approach, focusing on efforts to develop the major concepts of ship design, including the proper configuration and placement of masts and sails, hull resistance in water, hull displacement, buoyancy, the center of gravity, and the metacenter. Running through this history is the evolving process of naval architecture through the end of the eighteenth century, including the development and standardization of terminology, ship models and plans, and experimental techniques.

Ferreiro, Larrie D. Ships and Science: The Birth of Naval Architecture in the Scientific Revolution, 1600-1800