What is specific gravity (on an element)?

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Solution

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of a reference substance like water at a specific temperature and pressure, typically at 4°C (39°F) and 1 atm (29.92 inHg) , making it a dimensionless quantity (see below). Substances with a specific gravity greater than one are denser than water, and so (ignoring surface tension effects) will sink in it, and those with a specific gravity of less than one are less dense than water, and so will float in it. Specific gravity is a special case of, or in some usages synonymous with, relative density, with the latter term often preferred in modern scientific writing. The use of specific gravity is discouraged in technical use in scientific fields requiring high precision — actual density (in dimensions of mass per unit volume) is prefered

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