Specific gravity for a liquid is calculated using which formula?

Specific gravity is a dimensionless quantity that compares the density of a liquid to the density of water. It is defined as the ratio of the weight of a given volume of the liquid to the weight of an equal volume of water. Therefore, the correct method for calculating specific gravity is to take the weight of the liquid and divide it by the weight of an equal volume of water.

This form of calculation is essential because it allows the specific gravity value to indicate whether the liquid is denser or less dense than water, which has a specific gravity of 1. If the specific gravity is greater than 1, the liquid will sink in water; if it’s less than 1, the liquid will float.

The other choices represent different concepts. For example, the formula relating to weight loss in water refers to buoyancy and Archimedes' principle but is not a direct calculation of specific gravity. Meanwhile, the mass/volume relationship pertains to density calculations rather than specific gravity, which focuses specifically on weight comparisons. The last formula mentioned, P1V1 = P2V2, pertains to gas laws and is unrelated to the concept of specific gravity.