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metacenter
(met′ə sen′tər)
noun
that point in a floating body at which a vertical line drawn through its center of buoyancy when it is upright meets the vertical line drawn through its center of buoyancy when it is tipped; center of gravity of the part of a floating body that is not submerged: for stability the metacenter must be above the center of gravity
Origin: Fr métacentre: see meta- & center
Related Forms:
- metacentric adjective
See metacenter in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
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.
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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
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