Specific Gravity Specific gravity is the ratio of density of a substance compared to the density of fresh water at 4C (39 F).

At this temperature the density of water is at its greatest value and equal 1 g/mL. Since specific gravity is a ratio, so it has no units. An object will float in water if its density is less than the density of water and sink if its density is greater that that of water. Similarly, an object with specific gravity less than 1 will float and those with a specific gravity greater than one will sink. Specific gravity values for a few common substances are: Au, 19.3; mercury, 13.6; alcohol, 0.7893; benzene, 0.8786. Note that since water has a density of 1 g/cm3, the specific gravity is the same as the density of the material measured in g/cm3. The Discovery of Specific Gravity The discovery of specific gravity makes for an interesting story. Sometime around 250 B.C., the Greek mathematician Archimedes was given the task of determining whether a craftsman had defrauded King Heiro II of Syracuse. The king had provided a metal smith with gold to make a crown. The king suspected that the metal smith had added less valuable silver to crown and kept some of the gold for himself. The crown weighed the same as other crowns but due to its intricate designs it was impossible to measure the exact volume of the crown so its density could be determined. The king challenged Archimedes to determine if the crown was pure gold. Archimedes had no immediate answer and pondered this question for sometime. One day while entering a bath, he noticed that water spilled over the sides of the pool, and realized that the amount of water that spilled out was equal in volume to the space that his body occupied. He realized that a given mass of silver would occupy more space than an equivalent mass of gold. Archimedes first weighed the crown and weighed out an equal mass of pure gold. Then he placed the crown in a full container of water and the pure gold in a container of water. He found that more water spilled over the sides of the tub when the craftsmans crown was submerged. It turned out that the craftsman had been defrauding the King! Legend has it that Archimedes was so excited about his discovery that he ran naked through the streets of Sicily shouting Eureka! Eureka! (Which is Greek for I have found it!). The mechanism behind the balance is based on comparison of the weight to a set of standard weights on opposite arms of a central fulcrum. A twopan balance, as seen in grocery produce aisles, is an example of this type. Likewise, a gym or health clinic will have a small platform balance that weighs a person by moving weights across an arm. The arms in such a balance are not as obvious as the vegetable balance and are uneven in length. The uneven length creates a multiplier, allowing larger weights to be accommodated in a smaller space. In a scale, a movement of a pointer across a dial face is caused by deflection of a spring or deflection of pendulum weight. Strain-gauge load cells and pneumatic pressure cells also sense force and so can measure weight. These devices have the advantage of no weight-bearing moving parts