Water has a specific gravity of 1.000 at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. This is significant because the specific gravity of a substance is defined as the ratio of the density of that substance to the density of water at a specified temperature, typically taken as 4 degrees Celsius for water itself. At this temperature, water reaches its maximum density, which is approximately 1 g/cm³. This characteristic is critical in various applications, such as hydrodynamics and fluid mechanics, as it affects buoyancy, sedimentation, and the behavior of aquatic systems.
As the temperature deviates from 4 degrees Celsius, the density of water changes due to thermal expansion; thus, water will have a specific gravity less than 1.000 at temperatures above and below 4 degrees Celsius. Therefore, 4 degrees Celsius is recognized as the standard point for water's specific gravity of 1.000, highlighting its importance in scientific calculations and principles related to fluids.