specific gravity
- noun
- /spɪˈsɪfɪk ˈɡrævɪti/
- Specialized
- The specific gravity and Blaine fineness of the cement were 3.15 and 3800 cm²/g respectively.
- adjusted for specific gravity
He said most liquids are going to fall close to the specific gravity of water.
- He said most liquids are going to fall close to the specific gravity of water.
Examples
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Locally available river sand (specific gravity of 2.5 and fineness modulus of 3) was used as fine aggregate.
Academic text (2017) -
He said most liquids are going to fall close to the specific gravity of water.
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That should work out at about one fifth the specific gravity of steel.
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In order for it to work properly, the sample being tested must have a specific gravity greater than that of deionized water.
Fiction book (2000) -
Each liquid has a different specific gravity, allowing them to be carefully stacked without mixing.
Blog text (23) -
Each aggregate type had a specific gravity of 2.6 and an absorption of 1%.
Academic text (2017) -
If you are using a hydrometer to determine salinity, you must convert specific gravity to salinity.
Academic text (1995) -
For milk composition analysis, milk samples were collected weekly and were analyzed for fat, lactose, ash, protein, specific gravity, solids not fat, and total solids.
Academic text (2015) -
The specific gravity of a substance determines how dense it is compared to water.
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To compare different liquids, we measured their specific gravity.
Synonyms
How heavy a substance is compared with the same volume of water or air
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'specific' (particular) and 'gravity' (heaviness/weight) yield a plausible notion of 'particular heaviness', so a B1 learner might guess the phrase concerns how heavy something is. However the established technical meaning — a precise ratio of a substance's density to water — is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents without prior exposure; cross-linguistic equivalents exist but the precise ratio aspect makes it only partially transparent.
Etymology
The term specific gravity comes from a simple idea: specific means 'particular' and gravity means 'weight', so it literally names a way to compare how heavy a substance is to water. That's why specific gravity tells you whether something is heavier or lighter than water and whether it will sink or float.