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Density is mass per unit volume.
Relative Density is a dimensionless
ratio of the densities of two materials. Relative density is dimensionless,
since it is a ratio between two quantities of same unit. If the ratio is
greater than 1, the object will be heavier than the same volume of the reference.
If it is less than 1, it will be lighter than the reference. It is important to
specify the reference material when reporting a relative density, but when
the reference material is not specified it is usually understood to be water.
The term Specific
Gravity is similar to Relative Density, except that the reference
material is water.
Thus, Specific Gravity is a special case of relative density. While
specific gravity has a reference density of water, relative density can have
any reference density that is used.
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