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| metacenter |
| top: upward thrust of buoyancy (B ) and downward thrust of gravity (G ) allow a stable ship to right itself when heeledbottom: with a metacenter (M ) below gravity, forces of gravity and buoyancy are further apart and will cause an unstable ship to capsize when heeled (Precision Graphics) |
The intersection of vertical lines through the center of buoyancy of a floating body when it is at equilibrium and when it is floating at an angle. The location of the metacenter is an indication of the stability of a floating body.
