Question

Metacenter is the point of intersection of
A: vertical upward force through centre of gravity and centre line of body.
B: buoyant force and centre line of body
C: midpoint between centre of gravity and centre of buoyancy
D: All of the above

Answer 1

Metacentre is a concept that is used in fluid mechanics. Geometrically speaking this acts above the centre of buoyancy, that is the effective centre of the displaced water. We can approach the question by keeping these points in mind.

Complete step by step answer:
We can define the metacentre of the body as a theoretical point. At this point, an imaginary vertical line that passes through the centre of buoyancy and the centre of gravity intersects the imaginary vertical line through a new point, which is centre of buoyancy that is created when the body trips or displaces in the water, no matter however small the amount of variation is.If the metacentre is located at a point which is over the centre of gravity, buoyancy can restore stability during tilting of the object. The stability increases as the distance between metacentre and centre of gravity. If the metacentre is below the centre of gravity, the object is unstable, and tilting leads to capsizing.Hence we can conclude that metacentre is the point of intersection of the midpoint between centre of gravity and centre of buoyancy.

Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Note: Students might receive questions from this concept where the term called the metacentric height is used. This is nothing but the distance between metacentre and centre of gravity.