OUTLINES OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



When the centre of gravity of the body is lower than 

 the centre of gravity of the immersed part, d is ne- 



3 



gative, and the quantity -^ d is affirmative, 



X*v C' 



-*; whatever be the magnitude of r z 



If in the axis of the solid, or in the line passing 

 through the two centres, there be taken a point dis- 

 tant from the centre of the immersed part, by 



a 3 i J \..' 



= To~2' tms P mt * s ca U e d tne metacentre, be- 

 rno ft tTviuuiLkmi lUma vlsii ftfreJbiri n * &n ^ ma 



cause the centre of gravity must be lower than it, 

 81 in order that the body may float with stability. 



By the centre of gravity of the immersed part, is al- 

 ways understood its centre of gravity, supposing it 

 homogeneous. It is in fact the centre of gravity 

 of the water displaced, and were perhaps better di- 

 stinguished by the name of the centre of buoyancy. 



268. When a floating body revolves about a gi- 

 ven axis, the positions of equilibrium through 

 which it passes, are alternately those of stability 

 and instability. 



For between a state in which a body has a tendency 

 to remain, and another in which it has also a ten- 

 dency to remain, as these tendencies are opposite 

 to one another, there must be an intermediate posi- 

 tion, 



