Mass, Weight, Density and
Specific Gravity
Mass vs. Weight
The mass of a body is a measure of the total amount of matter it
contains; the weight of a body is the gravitational force on it due to the
Earth’s gravity. At the surface of the Earth, mass m and weight W are
proportional to each other:
W = mg
where g is the acceleration due to the Earth’s gravity,
equal to 9.80 m/s2.
Density
Density is defined as mass per unit volume. Mass is a property
and the SI unit for density is [kg/m3].
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 1
𝜌= 𝑜𝑟
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
where
ρ = density [kg/m3], [slugs/ft3]
m = mass [kg], [slugs]
V = volume [m3], [ft3]
ν = specific volume [m3/kg], [ft3/slug]
Specific Gravity (Relative Density) - SG
is a dimensionless unit defined as the ratio of the density of
a substance to the density of water - at a specified
temperature and can be expressed as
𝜌𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑆. 𝐺 =
𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
where
SG = Specific Gravity of the substance
ρsubstance= density of the fluid or substance [kg/m3]
ρH2O = density of water - normally at temperature 4 oC [kg/m3]
Specific Gravity (Relative Density) - SG
Note:
It is common to use the density of water at 4 oC (39oF) as a
reference since water at this point has its highest density
of 1000 kg/m3 or 1.940 slugs/ft3.
Specific Gravity of gases
Specific Gravity of gases is normally calculated with reference to air - and
defined as the ratio of the density of the gas to the density of the air - at a
specified temperature and pressure.
𝜌𝑔𝑎𝑠
𝑆. 𝐺 =
𝜌𝑎𝑖𝑟
where
SG = specific gravity of gas
ρgas = density of gas [kg/m3]
ρair = density of air (normally at NTP - 1.204 [kg/m3])
Specific Gravity for some common Materials
Specific Weight
Specific Weight is defined as weight per unit volume. Weight is a force. The
SI unit for specific weight is [N/m3]. The imperial unit is [lb/ft3].
Specific Weight (or force per unit volume) can be expressed as:
γ = ρ ag
where
γ = specific weight (N/m3], [lb/ft3]
ρ = density [kg/m3], [slugs/ft3]
ag = acceleration of gravity (9.807 [m/s2], 32.174 [ft/s2] under normal
conditions)
Specific Weight for Some common Materials
Sample Problem
You make a cake that has a mass of 300 grams and fits
in a cake pan that is 30 by 10 by 6.0 centimeters cubed.
What is the density of the cake in kg/m3?
Sample Problem Density is mass per unit volume, or
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
𝜌=
You make a cake that 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
1𝑘𝑔
has a mass of 300 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 = 300𝑔 𝑥
1,000 𝑔
grams and fits in a 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 = 0.300 𝑘𝑔
cake pan that is 30 by The Volume is:
1𝑚 3
10 by 6.0 centimeters 𝑉 = 30𝑐𝑚 𝑥 10𝑐𝑚 𝑥 6.0 𝑐𝑚 𝑥 (
100 𝑐𝑚
)
cubed. What is the 𝑉 = 0.0018 𝑚3
density of the cake in Solve for density:
0.300 𝑘𝑔
kg/m3? 𝜌=
0.0018 𝑚3
𝜌 = 1.7 𝑥 102 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
Sample Problem
The density of gasoline is 721 kilograms per cubic meter. What is its
specific gravity?
Sample Problem
Specific gravity is the density of a material divided by the
density of water at 4ᴼC which is 1,000 kg/ m3
The density of gasoline is
721 kilograms per cubic 𝜌𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
meter. What is its specific 𝑆. 𝐺 =
𝜌𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
gravity?
721 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
𝑆. 𝐺 =
1,000 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
𝑆. 𝐺 = 0.721
Sample Problem
A box of cough drops has a mass of 1.0 gram, and its dimensions are
1.0 by 5.0 by 8.5 centimeters cubed. It contains 30 cough drops, each
of which has a mass of 2.2 grams. What is the density of the box when
it is full of cough drops?
Ans. 1.6x103 kg/m3