Page 32 - Introduction to Naval Architecture

20 SHIP FORM CALCULATIONS

Figure 3. 1

situation is illustrated in Figure 3.1. The area of the shaded trapezium
is:

Any area can be divided into two, each with part of its boundary a
straight line. Such a line can be chosen as the axis about which
moments are taken. This simplifies the representation of the problem
as in Figure 3.2 which also uses equally spaced lines, called ordinates.
The device is very apt for ships, since they are symmetrical about their

Figure 3.2