Volume and mass are two notions that help determine the volume and mass of a substance. Density and relative density are two concepts that help determine the volume and mass of a substance.
Despite the fact that the two notions appear to be identical, they are not. Density and relative density are distinguished by the differences in their symbol, SI unit, measurement, and other terms.
Density Vs. Relative Density
The distinction between density and relative density is that density measures the mass per unit volume, whereas relative density measures the mass per unit volume. Relative density, on the other hand, is a measurement of the mass per unit volume of a specific reference material. The density of a substance varies depending on its composition. A substance’s relative density, on the other hand, is affected by the reference material used to determine its density. Figure 1:
The density of several common solids, liquids, and gases is covered in detail in every high school and college science textbook. Density is represented by the Greek letter rho, which is represented by the symbol. The density of a body is usually determined by the volume of the body.
In addition, increasing the pressure on an object causes the density of the thing to decrease by increasing the volume of the object. The mass formula is M=Vd, and the volume formula is V=M/d. The formula for volume is V=M/d. The density of a substance is a practical technique to determine the mass and volume of a given substance.
The relative density of a substance determines whether or not the substance will float or sink. If a material’s relative density is less than one, it is less dense than the reference material in the comparison. However, if it is greater than 1, it indicates that the substance is denser than the comparison material. Temperature, pressure, and the composition of the material are the variables that impact relative density.
What exactly is Density?
Density is defined as the amount of mass contained in a unit of volume. The formula for the same is d=M/V, where M denotes the mass and V is the volume of the object. In the majority of cases, density is given as a unit of gramme per cubic centimeter or kilogramme per cubic centimeter. Let us consider the density of the planet Earth, which is 5.51 grammes per cubic centimeter. The density of air, which is 1.2 kilogrammes per cubic meter, is yet another illustration of this phenomenon.
The density of a substance is a practical technique to determine the mass and volume of a given substance. The mass formula is M=Vd, and the volume formula is V=M/d. The formula for volume is V=M/d. The density of several common solids, liquids, and gases is covered in detail in every high school and college science textbook. Density is represented by the Greek letter rho, which is represented by the symbol.
A pure substance has the same density and mass concentration as any other substance. Different materials, on the other hand, have variable densities. Osmium and iridium are the elements with the highest density known at ambient temperature. The density of substances changes as a result of changes in temperature and pressure. For gases, this variance is the most noticeable, followed by liquids and solids, respectively.
The density of a body is usually determined by the volume of the body. In addition, increasing the pressure on an object causes the density of the thing to decrease by increasing the volume of the object. There are a few exceptions, however. For the record, the density of a substance is determined by a variety of factors including its temperature, electric field, physical condition, composition, allotropic shape, and so on.
What does Relative Density mean?
The term “relative density” refers to the amount of mass contained in a unit volume of a substance when referring to a specific supplied material. Specific density is a term that refers to relative density in another context. Most of the time, the relative density of liquids is calculated using water as a reference material for the calculations. For gases, on the other hand, the reference material taken into consideration is air.
Because it is less dense than the reference material if the relative density is less that 1, it is less dense than the reference material. However, if it is greater than 1, it indicates that the substance is denser than the comparison material. If the relative density of the material and the reference material is equal to one, then the material and the reference material have the same density. There is no SI unit for relative density.
The sign for relative density is denoted by the letters SG. The relative density of a substance determines whether or not the substance will float or sink. The relative density of rubbing oil is 0.79grams per cubic centimeter, while the density of water is 1grams per centimeter. There are no precise dimensions to relative density, which makes it a purely physical number. Differing relative densities can be found in different substances.
Relative density is influenced by a number of parameters, including temperature, pressure, and the composition of the substance. The hydrometer method, the Pycnometer method, the oscillating densitometer method, the buoyancy method, the immersed body method, and the hydrostatic method are all methods for calculating relative density. To summarize, relative density is a measure of density in relation to a specific material.
Difference Between Density and Relative Density
- The term “specific weight” refers to the amount of weight a substance has. However, specific gravity is another name for relative density, which is defined as the ratio of two masses.
- Density is represented by the symbol. The symbol for relative density, on the other hand, is SG.
- The SI unit for relative density is kilograms per cubic meter of space (kg/m3). However, there is no SI unit for relative density.
- Density is defined as the amount of mass contained in a unit of volume. In contrast, relative density is a measurement of the mass per unit volume of a substance in comparison to a standard reference material.
- The density of a substance varies depending on its composition. A substance’s relative density, on the other hand, is affected by the reference material used to determine its density.
Conclusion
Due to the differences in the meaning, SI unit of measurement, other names, and symbol of density and relative density, it is reasonable to assert that the two ideas are distinct from one another. Density is represented by the symbol. The symbol for relative density, on the other hand, is SG. There are several elements that determine the density of a material, including its temperature, electric field, physical condition, composition, and allotropic shape, among others.
A pure substance has the same density and mass concentration as any other substance. Different materials, on the other hand, have variable densities. Relative density, on the other hand, is a physical quantity that does not have fixed dimensions. Different materials have varying relative densities, which can be confusing. The term “specific weight” refers to the amount of weight a substance has. However, specific gravity is another name for relative density, which is defined as the ratio of two masses.