Density also volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance’s mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ (the lower case Greek letter rho), the Latin letter D can also be used as a symbol for density. Mathematically, density is defined as mass divided by volume.
Understanding density is important because it applies to many areas of life. What density means in physics is something that determines which clouds will float high in the sky and which will sink lower. Density determines the motions of gases in the atmosphere as one material rises over another. It influences what sinks in a body of water and what floats. So what does density mean? The meaning of density is a measure of how compact matter is. In simple terms, how much “stuff” is squeezed into a space. The more “stuff,” or matter, is squeezed into a space, the denser it will be.
What density means in science is a comparison of the mass of an object to its volume. Density in science and math uses a formula to compare the two. In sciences, such as physics, the focus is on objects and matter and applies the concept to the laws of nature. In mathematics, it is a formula that can be calculated and manipulated. In other areas, such as social sciences, density deals with population. The number of people in a certain land area gives the population density for that region.
Density And Relative Density.
The main difference between density and relative density is how they are defined, where density is defined as the mass of a unit of volume, but relative density is defined as the density of a given substance divided by the density of a reference substance.
Density is by definition the ratio of the mass and volume of a body. Density is a constant characteristic of a body and it depends on temperature, since it depends on temperature, density is commonly declared together with the temperature at which it is determined. The density of a substance is influenced by composition, temperature, physical state, allotropic shape, electric field, etc. Density is sometimes regarded as specific weight, with a measurement unit of Newton per cubic meter.
Relative density is the ratio between the density of a measuring substance and the density of some other reference substance at a given temperature (typically water). A substance can be compared to numerous reference substances, thus having different relative densities. Relative density is sometimes regarded as specific gravity.