🔍 Key Concepts

• Floor in ship construction: a transverse vertical plate that spans from side to side across the bottom, usually connected to the keel and frames • Girder: a deep fore‑and‑aft (longitudinal) strength member that supports the floors and bottom plating • Difference between longitudinal members (running fore‑and‑aft) and transverse members (running athwartships) in the double bottom

💭 Think About

• Look closely at how member K is oriented: does it run fore‑and‑aft along the length of the ship, or athwartships from side to side? • Notice what K is connected to: is it supporting the horizontal plates (like a beam) or is it itself a transverse plate tying the side shell and inner bottom together? • Compare K with the nearby longitudinal members shown at J and L: how is K different in thickness, orientation, and role?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether member K is transverse or longitudinal; this immediately eliminates two of the four options • Check if K appears as a deep plate forming part of the double bottom (typical of a floor) or as a long, continuous fore‑and‑aft beam (typical of a girder or longitudinal frame) • Confirm that a stringer in this context is usually a longitudinal strength member at or near the side shell, not a short transverse plate at the bottom