🔍 Key Concepts

• GM (metacentric height) and what a negative GM means for stability • Difference between trim, heel, list, and loll in ship stability terminology • What happens to a vessel when its initial stability is lost but it finds a new (often unsafe) equilibrium angle

💭 Think About

• Think about which term is used when a vessel ends up at a new, unstable equilibrium angle because of negative GM, not just because of wind, turning, or uneven loading. • Ask yourself: which word describes a temporary balance at an angle caused by poor stability, rather than a steady angle from permanent causes or fore-and-aft imbalance? • Consider which of the four terms is specifically associated with a vessel that may flop from one side to the other until it settles at a small angle on either side.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which term is defined in stability texts as associated with negative GM and a vessel that can flop from side to side. • Confirm that trim refers to fore-and-aft (bow-stern) difference, not side-to-side angles. • Distinguish between heel (often from external forces like wind or turning) and list (often from internal causes like loading) to see which one matches the description of a vessel with negative GM.