1. What is Specific Gravity?

Definition: Specific gravity (SG) is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance (typically water).

Purpose: It's a dimensionless quantity that helps compare densities of different materials relative to water.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( SG \) — Specific Gravity (unitless)
• \( \rho \) — Density of the material (kg/m³)
• \( \rho_{water} \) — Density of water (typically 1000 kg/m³)

Explanation: The material's density is divided by water's density to get a ratio that shows how much denser (or less dense) the material is compared to water.

3. Importance of Specific Gravity

Details: Specific gravity is crucial in many industries including geology, brewing, petroleum, and material science for quality control, purity testing, and buoyancy calculations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the material density in kg/m³ and water density (default 1000 kg/m³). All values must be > 0.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why is water used as the reference?
A: Water is used because it's abundant, well-studied, and has a density of exactly 1000 kg/m³ at 4°C (standard reference temperature).

Q2: What does a specific gravity of 1.0 mean?
A: A SG of 1.0 means the material has the same density as water. Less than 1 means it will float, greater than 1 means it will sink.

Q3: When would I change the water density value?
A: Only if you're working with water at different temperatures (e.g., 998 kg/m³ at 20°C) or using a different reference liquid.

Q4: What are typical specific gravity values?
A: Common values: Aluminum (2.7), Gold (19.3), Ice (0.92), Gasoline (0.7), Concrete (2.4).

Q5: Can specific gravity be less than zero?
A: No, since density can't be negative, SG is always a positive number.