Specific gravity Totally Explained

Everything about Specific Gravity totally explained

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given substance to the density of water, when both are at the same temperature, it's therefore a dimensionless quantity (see below). Substances with a specific gravity greater than one are denser than water (and so will sink in it), and those with a specific gravity of less than one are less dense than water (and so will float in it). Specific gravity is a special case of, or in some usages synonymous with, relative density, with the latter term often preferred in modern scientific writing. The use of specific gravity is discouraged in technical use in scientific fields requiring high precision — actual density (in dimensions of mass per unit volume) is preferred.
Specific gravity, SG, is expressed mathematically as:
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Occasionally a reference substance other than water is specified (for example, air), in which case specific gravity means density relative to that reference.
Specific gravity is by definition dimensionless and therefore not dependent on the system of units used (for example slugs·ft⁻³ or kg·m⁻³). However, the two densities must of course be converted to the same units before carrying out the numerical ratio calculation.
For information about the measurement of and uses of specific gravity, see relative density.

Examples

Balsa wood has a specific gravity of 0.2, so it's 0.2 times as dense as water.
Aluminium has a specific gravity of 2.7, so it's 2.7 times as dense as water.
Lead has a specific gravity of 11.35, so it's 11.35 times as dense as water.

(Samples may vary, and these figures are approximate.)

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