🔍 Key Concepts

• Propeller hand (left-handed vs right-handed) and what determines it • The difference between viewing a propeller from ahead (bow) vs astern (stern) • Why "handedness" is about direction of rotation, not which side of the vessel it’s on

💭 Think About

• When mariners describe a propeller as left- or right-handed, from which direction are they imagining they are looking at it? Ahead or astern? • If a propeller turns counter-clockwise when viewed from one end, in which direction will it appear to turn when viewed from the opposite end? • Do we ever define a propeller’s hand by which side of the vessel it is on, or by whether it can turn both ways?

✅ Before You Answer

• Make sure the definition is tied to direction of rotation, not port/starboard side of the vessel • Check whether the answer choice clearly states from which direction the propeller is being viewed • Eliminate any options that mention the propeller being able to rotate "in either direction" – that is not what handedness means