metacentre
/ˈmɛtəsɛntə
/(US metacenter)
noun
The point of intersection between an imaginary line drawn vertically through the centre of buoyancy of a floating vessel and a corresponding line through the new centre of buoyancy when the vessel is tilted.And, if the metacenter should fall below the ship's center of gravity, it'll capsize....
- If the metacenter is below the center of gravity, the boat is unstable and capsizes.
- When a submarine submerges, however, the water plane disappears and the metacenter comes down to the center of buoyancy.
Derivatives
metacentric
- The X, Y, and autosomes are indicated as rod-shaped acrocentric, J-shaped submetacentric, and metacentric chromosomes, respectively.
- Chromosome 5 has metacentric signals whereas chromosome 2 has submetacentric signals.
- If the centromere is in the middle, the chromosome is metacentric and the chromosome arms are equal in size.
Origin
Late 18th century: from French métacentre (see meta-, centre).