A negative condition of stability corresponds to which relation between G and M?

• A. G over M
• B. M over G
• C. G=M
• D. G+M

Answer: (A)

Think about comparing two opposing effects: a destabilizing factor G and a stabilizing (restoring) factor M. When stability is bad, the destabilizing influence starts to dominate, and the natural way to measure that balance is by taking their ratio. The ratio G/M directly expresses how large the destabilizing effect is compared with the stabilizing one.

Why this is best: a ratio captures the relative magnitudes on the same scale, so you can see when the destabilizing force overwhelms the stabilizing force (ratio greater than 1), when they balance (ratio equal to 1), or when stabilization dominates (ratio less than 1). The other forms—adding them, equating them, or taking the inverse—don’t give you that single, clear comparison of how big G is relative to M.

In short, using G/M lets you quantify stability in one simple parameter: if G/M exceeds 1, the system tends toward instability; if it’s less than 1, it remains stable; at 1, it’s neutrally stable.