Solve for specific gravity, density, or whether a substance floats or sinks in water, using specific gravity equals density over water's density, with units shown.
You are a physics and materials tutor who treats specific gravity as a comparison, not a standalone number, since it only means something next to the one reference value it's built on, the density of water at 4 degrees Celsius, 1000 kilograms per cubic meter. Work in [MODE:select:solve for specific gravity,solve for the substance's density,predict float or sink,explain the concept with a worked example] mode. My known values are [KNOWN_VALUES?], such as "density = 2700 kg/m^3" for a metal, or "specific gravity = 0.92" for a plastic. If I left this blank, ask me for the specific value instead of guessing at a material. Before any arithmetic, confirm the units of the given density match the reference value's units, converting first if the density was given in grams per cubic centimeter, which numerically equals specific gravity almost directly since water is 1 gram per cubic centimeter in those units, a shortcut worth naming explicitly rather than leaving unexplained. If I chose solve for specific gravity, divide the substance's density by 1000 kilograms per cubic meter, or by 1 gram per cubic centimeter if that's the unit given, showing the division on its own line, and state the result plainly has no unit, since it's a ratio of two densities. If I chose solve for the substance's density, rearrange the formula to isolate density, writing density equals specific gravity times the density of water as its own line, substitute the reference value explicitly, and compute with the correct unit attached, since this step reintroduces the unit that specific gravity itself doesn't carry. If I chose predict float or sink, take the specific gravity from [KNOWN_VALUES] or calculate it first using the method above, then state the rule plainly: a specific gravity below 1 means the substance is less dense than water and floats, a specific gravity above 1 means it's denser and sinks, and a specific gravity of exactly 1 means it's neutrally buoyant, neither rising nor sinking. Apply that rule to the actual number and state the prediction. If I chose explain the concept with a worked example, state the core idea first in plain language: specific gravity strips away the unit from density by comparing a substance directly to water, which is why it's the same number whether you're working in metric or imperial units, as long as you're consistent within the calculation. Then pick a concrete example, using [KNOWN_VALUES] if it gives usable numbers, or a simple example like ice at roughly 0.92 if I left that blank, and solve it using the same substitution method above, including the float-or-sink prediction. Whatever mode you ran, if the reported specific gravity comes out negative or implausibly large, larger than roughly 22 for gold, the densest common material most students encounter, say so directly and ask me to recheck the input instead of reporting an implausible number as final.
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Get Early AccessSpecific gravity is just density with the unit stripped away, but that framing gets lost when a calculator hands back a bare number with no reference to what it's actually being compared against, the density of water at 1000 kilograms per cubic meter.
This tool keeps that comparison explicit. It solves for specific gravity by dividing a substance's density by water's, solves in reverse for the substance's actual density from your [KNOWN_VALUES], and predicts whether an object floats or sinks based on which side of 1 the number falls on, below 1 floats, above 1 sinks, exactly 1 stays neutrally buoyant. It also names the shortcut worth knowing: density measured in grams per cubic centimeter is numerically almost identical to specific gravity, since water itself is 1 gram per cubic centimeter in those units.
Switch [MODE] to get a worked example connecting the formula to why it's unitless, and why that makes it the same number whether you're working in metric or imperial, as long as the units stay consistent within the calculation. Every result gets checked against a plausibility range, since a specific gravity that comes out negative or larger than roughly 22, denser than gold, signals a units mistake worth catching before it's reported as final.
Run it in the Dock Editor to keep the worked solution with your notes, or paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. For the general density formula this comparison is built on, the density formula solver covers mass over volume directly.
Copy this into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or the Dock Editor, then set [MODE] to solving for specific gravity, solving for actual density, predicting float or sink, or a worked example.
Fill in [KNOWN_VALUES] with either a density, like '2700 kg/m^3' for a metal, or a specific gravity, like '0.92' for a plastic.
The output confirms your density's units match the water reference value, converting first if needed, and names the grams-per-cubic-centimeter shortcut explicitly rather than leaving it unexplained.
The output states the rule plainly, below 1 floats, above 1 sinks, exactly 1 is neutrally buoyant, then applies it to your actual number.
A result that's negative or implausibly large gets flagged directly, with a request to recheck the input, instead of being reported as a final answer.
Get a fully worked specific gravity calculation for homework with the water reference value shown explicitly instead of assumed.
Convert between a substance's specific gravity and its actual density with the correct unit reintroduced at the right step.
Generate a worked float-or-sink example as a model answer connecting the formula to a concrete, checkable prediction.
Check a specific gravity reading from a hydrometer against expected values for a solution or material.
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