Question: what is the distinction between density and specific gravity?
Answer: Density is defined as mass per unit volume. It has the SI unit kg m-3 or kg/m3 and is an absolute quantity. Specific gravity is the ratio of a material's density with that of water at 4 °C (where it is most dense and is taken to have the value 999.974 kg m-3). It is therefore a relative quantity with no units.