Question

1. Explain the effect of height and weight on the flating body stability.

a)discuss the effect of moving weight on the floating body.

b)explain why it is important to determine the stability of a floating body.

Answer 1

Stability of a floating body depends on the height of center of mass above water/fluid level. Higher the center of mass, more will be the torque (and hence the turning effect) produced by the weight of the body when it is deflected towards one side. This torque can overturn or topple the floating body. A heavier body will be submerged more and hence will be more stable. Increasing the height increases the height of the center of mass and makes the body less stable.

a. Moving a weight on a floating body makes it less stable as the weight is moved away from the axis passing through the center of mass. This is because torque due to the moving weight is proprtional to that distance. One can make the body more stable by having the moving weight directly above the center of mass.

b. Ships and boats have been there from a long time. They need to be designed for different loading and sea conditions. Huge waves in the sea decrease the stability of a ship. Hence, it is very important to determine the stability to know how we can use ships without any accidents.