Are Specific Gravity and Density same things?

Answer 1

Density is simply mass per unit volume. The density of a substance is directly related to the atomic weight of the element composing it, ie., elements with higher atomic weight can be thought of as being “heavier”. Another way of stating this is that equal volumes of two different substances have different densities because each different substance has a different mass (ie, atomic weight) and crystal structure. There are many types of units which can be used to measure the mass of a substance (pounds, grams, etc.), just as there are many types of units which can be used to measure volume (cubic feet, cubic centimeters, etc.). The standard units of measure for density are grams/cubic centimeter.

Different minerals or rocks can vary greatly in density, depending on their chemical make up. Density is such a characteristic property of a substance that it may be used to identify the substance. Geologists have found it useful to develop a system of comparing densities of different minerals or rocks by calculating a numerical value without units known as “specific gravity”. The specific gravity is the weight of a substance compared to an equal volume of water. Water is chosen as the substance for comparison because by definition it has a density of 1 gram per cubic centimeter (at 4o C), and also because it is such a common substance. For example, compare the density of a rock like granite to water: a cubic foot of water weighs 62.5 pounds and a cubic foot of granite weighs 168 pounds. The specific gravity of granite is: 168 / 62.5 = 2.7. Granite is 2.7 times heavier than water.

Answer 2

Simple answer: density is mass per unit volume, specific gravity is the ratio of the material's density to that of water. Density has units of gm/cm^3 (mass/volume) while specific gravity is dimensionless.

Answer 3

Yes.

Specific gravity is simply a measure of density relative to a reference material under reference conditions. Usually this reference material is water (but it does not have to be). It is useful with water because it allows the amount of certain solutes in the water to be estimted quickly.

Answer 4

No, not really.

Specific gravity and RELATIVE density are pretty much the same thing, though.

BIG DIFFERENCE WITH GASSES AND OTHER COMPRESSIBLES!!!

(BIG difference on your mid-term essay question!)

This almost sounds like a chemistry question, instead of physics.

I hope this helps?

Answer 5

no... specific gravity usually pertains to liquids...