Question 2020 Deck Safety

The correct answer is D) virtual height of the center of gravity. Increasing free surfaces has the effect of raising the virtual height of the center of gravity. This is because free surfaces introduce a free surface effect, which causes the apparent center of gravity to rise, effectively increasing the virtual height of the center of gravity. The other options are incorrect because: A) the metacenter is not affected by free surfaces, B) the metacentric height decreases with increasing free surfaces, and C) the uncorrected KG (vertical position of the center of gravity) is not directly affected by free surfaces.