How Do You Measure The Specific Gravity Of Materials Lighter Than Water?
You can measure the specific gravity of any material by measuring its density and dividing that by the density of pure water, which is 1 gram per milliliter (g/mL). Scientists define density as the mass of a substance divided by its volume. You can use a balance to determine an object’s mass. To determine its volume, you can submerge it into a measured volume of water and observe how much the volume rises. If the material is lighter than water, you will need push it into the water to measure its volume. Obtain a sample of the material for which you would like to measure the specific gravity. Make sure the sample is small enough to fit inside of your graduated cylinder. If you can only get a large sample, you can substitute a large beaker for the graduated cylinder. Use your balance to measure the mass of your sample. For example, suppose you have a small piece of wood with a mass of 32 g. Fill your graduated cylinder to the halfway point with water. If you have a 1,000 mL graduated cyl
