Specific gravity is a term used in physics and engineering to describe the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance. The reference substance is typically water for liquids and solids, or air for gases. It is a dimensionless quantity that provides a measure of how dense a substance is compared to the reference substance.
The specific gravity of a substance is calculated by dividing its density by the density of the reference substance. Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
Specific Gravity = Density of Substance / Density of Reference Substance
Since specific gravity is a ratio, it has no units. It is often represented by the symbol "SG" or "ρ". For most common substances, such as liquids and solids, water is used as the reference substance, and its density is assigned a value of 1 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) or 1000 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³).
If the specific gravity of a substance is less than 1, it means the substance is less dense than water. For example, if the specific gravity of a liquid is 0.8, it is 80% as dense as water. If the specific gravity is greater than 1, the substance is denser than water. For example, if the specific gravity is 2.5, it is 2.5 times denser than water.
Specific gravity is commonly used in various fields, such as chemistry, geology, metallurgy, and engineering. It helps determine the buoyancy of objects in fluids, the concentration of solutions, the composition of minerals, and the characterization of materials.
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