metacenter

met·a·cen·ter  (mt-sntr) n. The intersection of vertical lines through the center of buoyancy of a floating body when it is at equilibrium and when it is floating at an angle. The location of the metacenter is an indication of the stability of a floating body.

metacenter top: upward thrust of buoyancy (B ) and downward thrust of gravity (G ) allow a stable ship to right itself when heeledbottom: with a metacenter (M ) below gravity, forces of gravity and buoyancy are further apart and will cause an unstable ship to capsize when heeled

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

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