Density

(děn'se-te.) [ Fr. den sité.) (Phy.) A term used to denote the ratio of the quantity of matter in a body to that in an equal bulk of some standard substance. The standard for liquids and solids is water at a temperature of 4° C. (39-2° F.); that is to say, at the temperature at which a given weight of water occupies the least bulk. For gases, hydrogen is usually taken as a standard. The quantity of matter in a body is termed its ma . Hence the densities of two bodies are directly proportional to their ma es, and inversely proportional to their volumes. At the same spot on the earth's surface, the ma varies exactly as the weight, hence at the same place the density and the specific gravity of the body will be the same. [s. 277]