Difference between revisions of "Density"
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'''Density''' is the amount of [[mass]] an object has per unit [[volume]] that the object occupies.<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Chemistry''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> The most common units of density include kg/L or kg/m<sup>3</sup> in [[metric]] units, and lb/gal or lb/ft<sup>3</sup> in [[imperial]] units. | '''Density''' is the amount of [[mass]] an object has per unit [[volume]] that the object occupies.<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Chemistry''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> The most common units of density include kg/L or kg/m<sup>3</sup> in [[metric]] units, and lb/gal or lb/ft<sup>3</sup> in [[imperial]] units. | ||
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| + | Another way of expressing density is '''specific gravity''', defined as the [[ratio]] of the density of the object to that of [[water]] at a given temperature. Specific gravity is thus [[dimensionless]]. Substances are denser than water if they have a specific gravity greater than 1, and less dense if it is less than 1. However, it does not follow that water has a specific gravity of 1, since the density of water varies according to the temperature. The use of specific gravity is generally discouraged in present-day scientific and technical writing, with absolute values of density preferred. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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[[Category:Chemistry]] | [[Category:Chemistry]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Physics]] | ||
Revision as of 16:22, January 26, 2012
Density is the amount of mass an object has per unit volume that the object occupies.[1] The most common units of density include kg/L or kg/m3 in metric units, and lb/gal or lb/ft3 in imperial units.
Another way of expressing density is specific gravity, defined as the ratio of the density of the object to that of water at a given temperature. Specific gravity is thus dimensionless. Substances are denser than water if they have a specific gravity greater than 1, and less dense if it is less than 1. However, it does not follow that water has a specific gravity of 1, since the density of water varies according to the temperature. The use of specific gravity is generally discouraged in present-day scientific and technical writing, with absolute values of density preferred.
References
- ↑ Wile, Dr. Jay L. Exploring Creation With Chemistry. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998