Ballast is any substance that is used in ships or hot-air balloons to make them heavier and more stable. Ballast usually consists of water, sand, or iron. Synonyms: counterbalance, balance, weight, stability More Synonyms of ballast. COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary.

What is a synonym for ballast?

In this page you can discover 31 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for ballast, like: load, equipoise, judgment, poise, sandbag, sandbags, brace, tamping, counterbalance, light ballast and ballast-resistor.

What is a ballast person?

something that helps someone or something to succeed, especially by keeping them or it under control, or making them or it more serious: He needed his platoon mates around him. They were his ballast.

What is an example of ballast?

The definition of ballast is something that provides security and balance. An example of ballast for some people is their belief in God. An example of ballast on a boat is gravel used to balance or make the boat stable. An example of ballast is bags of sand in a hot air balloon.

What is a ballast on a boat?

Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, submarine, or other floating structure that holds water is called a ballast tank. Water should move in and out from the ballast tank to balance the ship.

How does ballast work?

In its simplest form, a ballast uses magnetic energy that erupts into the lamp when it is turned on, stimulating the electrodes to make a current and the lamp glows.

What is in a ballast?

A magnetic ballast (also called a choke) contains a coil of copper wire. The magnetic field produced by the wire traps most of the current so only the right amount gets through to the fluorescent light. That amount can fluctuate depending on the thickness and length of the copper wire.

Why does a ship need ballast?

The major purposes of ballasting a vessel for a voyage are to increase its manageability (and safety), particularly under heavy weather conditions; control its draft and trim for maximum efficiency; and control its stability to ensure safe passage.

What does our ballistic mean?

1 : extremely and usually suddenly excited, upset, or angry : wild He went ballistic when he saw the dent in his car. and the crowd goes ballistic.

What does it mean to be crippled?

1 : to deprive of the use of a limb and especially a leg the accident left him crippled. 2 : to deprive of capability for service or of strength, efficiency, or wholeness an economy crippled by inflation.

What does heavy ballast mean?

– Heavy Ballast: During the seagoing state, if the ship is not fully loaded, ship ballast tanks are filled to its capacity. This condition is known as a heavy ballast. – Port Ballast: Many ports around the world have a restriction for usage of ballast water.

What is ballast on a sailboat?

Sailboat ballast is a weight carried either in the sailboat keel or hull, typically made of lead, iron, or cement, which acts as a counterweight to the wind’s force on the sails’ force, providing righting moment by lowering the center of gravity.

What is ballast in aviation?

Ballast. Ballast is removable or permanently installed weight in an aircraft used to bring the center of gravity into the allowable range.

What are the different types of ballast?

And there are two types of ballasts in each family: magnetic and electronic. Magnetic ballasts are the older ballast technology. For the fluorescent family, both T12 linear fluorescents and two-pin CFLs use magnetic ballasts. For HIDs, some metal halides and HPS lamps use magnetic ballasts.

Do all boats need ballast?

How Much Ballast do Boats Need? Boats, especially sailboats, do require ballast in order to prevent them from altogether tipping over in certain situations – but these boats can still tip over. Therefore it is essential to know how much ballast a boat needs.

Do Modern ships use ballast?

Large cargo ships use ballast water to balance their weight and keep them stable during a voyage. Although it is essential for the safety of the ship, ballast water can be harmful to the marine environment as its discharge can release potentially invasive species into a new marine environment.

Do all sailboats have a ballast?

It is called a water ballast, after all. Today’s sailboats will typically come with their own water ballast systems, including internal tanks. These sailboats are made for recreational purposes like cruising or racing.