🔍 Key Concepts

• Period of roll and how it relates to a ship’s stability and motion • Relationship between metacentric height (GM), ship stiffness/“liveliness,” and roll period • Which of the listed items most directly changes how the ship’s mass is spread vertically

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: Which option most directly affects how quickly the ship rocks from side to side (its natural rolling motion)? • Think about which factor really controls whether the ship feels ‘stiff’ (quick, snappy roll) or ‘tender’ (slow, lazy roll). • Consider: Which choice is a broad effect on the ship’s whole vertical mass distribution, and which are more narrow or secondary effects?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which factor is most directly tied to GM (metacentric height), because roll period is strongly linked to GM. • Eliminate any option that mainly affects trim (fore‑and‑aft) rather than roll (side‑to‑side). • Check which choice represents an overall change in how weight is spread vertically throughout the vessel, not just a single point shifting.