🔍 Key Concepts
• Metacenter (M), center of gravity (G), and how GM (metacentric height) affects stability
• Difference between stable, unstable, neutral, and negative equilibrium
• What happens to a heeled vessel when G is below, at, or above M
💭 Think About
• Visualize a vessel heeling a small amount to one side. Does the righting arm try to bring it back upright, let it stay where it is, or make it heel more?
• Think about the sign of GM (metacentric height). What does a positive GM tell you about the vessel’s initial stability?
• Match each type of equilibrium (stable, unstable, negative, neutral) with what the vessel physically does after a small disturbance.
✅ Before You Answer
• Make sure you connect G below M, G at M, and G above M with the four equilibrium terms
• Verify that positive GM corresponds to a specific kind of equilibrium behavior (returns, stays, or capsizes further)
• Eliminate any option whose description does not match the behavior of a vessel that comes back toward upright after a small heel.