In the natural sciences, including physiology and engineering, a specific quantity generally refers to an intensive quantity obtained by the ratio of an extensive quantity of interest by another extensive quantity (usually mass or volume). If mass is the divisor quantity, the specific quantity is a massic quantity.[1] If volume is the divisor quantity, the specific quantity is a volumic quantity.[citation needed] For example, massic leaf area is leaf area divided by leaf mass and volumic leaf area is leaf area divided by leaf volume. Derived SI units involve reciprocal kilogram (kg-1), e.g., square metre per kilogram (m2· kg−1).
Another kind of specific quantity, termed named specific quantity, is a generalization of the original concept. The divisor quantity is not restricted to mass, and name of the divisor is usually placed before "specific" in the full term (e.g., "thrust-specific fuel consumption").
Named and unnamed specific quantities are given for the terms below.
^Cohen, E. R.; et al. (2007). IUPAC Green Book(PDF) (3rd ed.). Cambridge: IUPAC and RSC Publishing. pp. 6 (20 of 250 in PDF file). ISBN 978-0-85404-433-7.
divisor quantity, the specificquantity is a massic quantity. If volume is the divisor quantity, the specificquantity is a volumic quantity.[citation...
A physical quantity (or simply quantity) is a property of a material or system that can be quantified by measurement. A physical quantity can be expressed...
The specific weight, also known as the unit weight (symbol γ, the Greek letter gamma), is a volume-specificquantity defined as the weight per unit volume...
, specific and named) pathogens A specificquantity generally means a physical quantity normalized "per unit" of something (often mass). SPECIFIC, The...
its enthalpy resulting from providing energy, typically heat, to a specificquantity of the substance to change its state from a solid to a liquid, at...
Quantity or amount is a property that can exist as a multitude or magnitude, which illustrate discontinuity and continuity. Quantities can be compared...
similarly, any extensive quantity "E" can be divided by the sample's mass, to become the sample's "specific E"; extensive quantities "E" which have been divided...
In thermodynamics, the specific volume of a substance (symbol: ν, nu) is a mass-specific intrinsic property of the substance, defined as the quotient...
Specific force (SF) is a mass-specificquantity defined as the quotient of force per unit mass. S F = F / m {\displaystyle \mathrm {SF} =F/m} It is a...
Dimensionless quantities, also known as quantities of dimension one are implicitly defined in a manner that prevents their aggregation into units of measurement...
(Quantities and units, International Organization for Standardization, 1992) is a superseded international standard concerning physical quantities, units...
In the gravitational two-body problem, the specific orbital energy ε {\displaystyle \varepsilon } (or vis-viva energy) of two orbiting bodies is the constant...
although this is scientifically inaccurate – this quantity is more specifically called specific weight. For a pure substance the density has the same...
Specific surface area (SSA) is a property of solids defined as the total surface area (SA) of a material per unit mass, (with units of m2/kg or m2/g)....
collected from plant or animal tissues. The more common, and more specificquantity known as standard atomic weight (Ar,standard) is an application of...
as Measure, Quality and Quantity though still distinct from one another are inseparable and in their unity comprise a specific Determinate Being: "Everything...
"Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry" (PDF). Blackwell Sciences. p. 7. The adjective specific before the name of an extensive quantity...
chemical element is the mass of that element (in grams) transported by a specificquantity of electricity, usually expressed in grams per coulomb of electric...
Specific leaf area (SLA) is the ratio of leaf area to leaf dry mass. The inverse of SLA is Leaf Mass per Area (LMA). Specific leaf area is a ratio indicating...
beer, sugar, and flour, for example, are sold in multiples of a specificquantity. Beer is sold in pints and in a pub the customer can purchase a pint...
Specific energy or massic energy is energy per unit mass. It is also sometimes called gravimetric energy density, which is not to be confused with energy...
more specific definition adopted in physical sciences (especially in metrology) for ratio is the dimensionless quotient between two physical quantities measured...
Relative density, also called specific gravity, is a dimensionless quantity defined as the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance...
(especially food additives) which are harmless enough to have no specificquantity restriction. It serves to protect consumers from the addition of excessive...
in percent) is a "ratio". Specificquantities are intensive quantities resulting from the quotient of a physical quantity by mass, volume, or other measures...
vector quantities, a scalar-valued function H(r) is a conserved quantity of the system if, for all time and initial conditions in some specific domain...