Generally speaking, the weight of a ship in the water is
“pushing” straight down, and the seawater that it
displaces is “pushing” straight back up. When no other
forces are acting on the ship, all these forces cancel
each other out and equilibrium exists. However, when
the center of gravity moves from directly above the
center of buoyancy, there is an “inclining moment.”
When this occurs, this force is considered to be at right
angles to the forces of gravity and buoyancy. An
understanding of trigonometry is required to
understand the effects and results of these actions.
