Specific weight is defined as?

Specific weight is defined as the weight per unit volume of a material and is expressed mathematically as the product of a material's density and the acceleration due to gravity. Specific weight is not exclusive to the Imperial System; it is a term used in both the Imperial and Metric systems. The correct understanding of specific weight is that it provides valuable information about how heavy a substance is in relation to the space it occupies.

While considerations around the density of a substance compared to the density of water can provide insights into buoyancy and related topics, this is not a direct definition of specific weight. Additionally, options relating to the ratio of mass to force do not accurately reflect the scientific definition of specific weight, which relates rather to weight (a force) per unit volume rather than a direct mass comparison.

Therefore, the accurate definition of specific weight focuses on the concept of weight per unit volume, which is critical for engineers and related practitioners in calculating buoyancy, hydrostatic pressures, and designing systems that involve fluids.