1. What is Specific Gravity?

Specific Gravity (SG) is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance (typically water for liquids and solids). It is a dimensionless quantity that compares the relative density of materials.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Specific Gravity formula:

Where:

• \( \rho \) — Density of the substance (kg/m³)
• \( \rho_{water} \) — Density of water (typically 1000 kg/m³ at 4°C)
• \( SG \) — Specific Gravity (dimensionless)

Explanation: The formula calculates how much denser or less dense a substance is compared to water. Values greater than 1 indicate a substance denser than water, while values less than 1 indicate a substance less dense than water.

3. Importance of Specific Gravity

Details: Specific gravity is important in many fields including chemistry, geology, brewing, and medicine. It helps identify substances, determine purity, and predict buoyancy.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the substance density in kg/m³ and the reference water density (default is 1000 kg/m³). Both values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is the specific gravity of water?
A: The specific gravity of pure water is exactly 1 by definition at standard conditions (4°C, 1 atm).

Q2: How does temperature affect specific gravity?
A: Since density changes with temperature, specific gravity measurements should specify the temperature at which they were taken.

Q3: What are typical specific gravity values?
A: Most rocks have SG 2-3, metals 7-19, while most liquids range from 0.7 (gasoline) to 1.5 (glycerin).

Q4: How is specific gravity different from density?
A: Density has units (kg/m³), while specific gravity is dimensionless and relative to water.

Q5: Why use water as the reference?
A: Water is abundant, well-studied, and serves as a convenient reference point with SG = 1.