What is Specific Gravity?
Excellent question!!! The specific gravity (“Sp.G.”) of a liquid tells you how much more or less dense the liquid is than water. Water has a specific gravity of 1.000 (near 4C). If a liquid is more dense than water, then its specific gravity is greater than 1. If it is less dense than water, then the specific gravity is less than 1. To calculate the specific gravity of a liquid, you have to know its density. Take the density of the liquid, divided by the density of water (1 gm/cm3), and you will get the specific gravity of the liquid: Sp.G. = (density of liquid) / (1 gm/cm3) Specific gravity is also related to buoyancy. The denser a liquid is, the greater the force of buoyancy will be on an object floating in/on it (the higher it will float). You can calculate the magnitude of the buoyancy force like this: Fbuoyancy = (density of liquid) x (volume of object) x (acceleration of gravity) In the subjects I study (biology & medicine), specific gravity is important for determining how well
