What happens to a substance with a specific gravity of 1?

• A. It floats on water
• B. It sinks in water
• C. It evaporates in water
• D. It is neutral in water

Answer: (B)

A substance with a specific gravity of 1 has the same density as water. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water at a specified temperature. When the specific gravity is exactly equal to that of water, the substance neither sinks nor floats but instead remains suspended in the water.

Therefore, rather than sinking, as would occur with substances that have a specific gravity greater than 1, the substance is essentially neutral in relation to buoyancy in water. The behavior of such a substance is best described as being stable or suspended in water rather than only sinking. This characteristic is important in various applications, including environmental science and emergency response scenarios, particularly when dealing with hazardous materials.