EXPERIMENT- 03

AIM: To Determine the metacentric height of a floating body.

Apparatus Required: Metacentric Apparatus, boat with protractor
attached, weights

Introduction:
The metacentre is one of the most important parameter for determining
stability of a floating bodies for e.g. ships, boats etc. A Metacentre is the
theoretical point at which an imaginary vertical line passing through the
centre of buoyancy and centre of gravity intersects the imaginary vertical
line through a new centre of buoyancy created when the body
is displaced, or tipped, in the water, however little.

Theory:
The centre of buoyancy of a floating body is the effective centre of the
displaced water. The metacentre remains directly above the centre of
buoyancy regardless of the tilt of a floating body, such as a ship. When at
rest, the vessel’s centre of buoyancy is directly below the centre of gravity
as well as below the metacentre. The centre of gravity is the point in a body
about which all parts of the body balance each other. When a vessel tilts,
one side displaces more water than does the other, and the centre of
buoyancy moves and is no longer directly under the centre of gravity, but,
regardless of the amount of the tilt, the centre of buoyancy remains directly
below the metacentre. If the metacentre is above the centre of gravity,
buoyancy restores stability when the ship tilts. The stability increases with
the distance between metacentre and centre of gravity , called the
metacentric height. If the metacentre is below the centre of gravity, the boat
is unstable, and a tilt results in capsizing.

Metacentric height of a floating body can be found using the following

formula:

Where, GM = Metacentric height

w1 = Additional weight added
Y = Distance of w1 from center
W = Weight of floating ship
θ = Tilt Angle
Procedure:
1. Take an empty tank and fill it with water.
2. Now, place the floating ship in the tank.
3. Now, without the weights, note the angle and see if there is any
deformation or error. If there is any error, note the error angle.
4. After adjusting, add weight (w1) to the horizontal beam of floating
ship at a known distance (Y) from the centre of the beam.
5. Now the ship will tilt at some angle on one side and observe the tilt
angle on graduated scale and note it down.
6. Take about 4-5 such readings by changing the position of the
adjustable weight and find out the tilt angle in each case.
7. Finally, use the formula to calculate the metacentric height.
Calculation & Observation:
Weight of movable mass, W=4.35 Kg
Weight of boat + movable mass, W+W1= 4.4 Kg
Error Angle = 1 degree

Displacement of Angle of Angle of Metacentric

small weight Tilt tilt after Height(in cm)
negating
(in mm) (θ) (W1 * X) /
error ((W+W1) * tan
(-1 degree) θ)
Displaced 5 1.5 0.5 6.51
Left side 7 2.5 1.5 3.04
9 3.5 2.5 2.34
11 4.0 3.0 2.39
Mean Metacentric height = 3.56 cm
Result:

Metacentric Height of the body = 3.56 cm

Precautions:
1) Apparatus should be in levelled condition.
2) Reading must be taken in steady condition of water.
3) Reading of tilt should be taken when pendulum is steady and not
fluctuating.
4) Water disturbance should be minimum.