pycnometer

pycnometer

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πυκνός (puknós, “dense”) and μέτρον (métron, “measure”); synchronically, pycno- +‎ -meter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪkˈnɒmɪtə(ɹ)/

Noun

pycnometer (plural pycnometers)

1. (physics, metrology) A vessel of precisely known volume used by weighing to determine the specific gravity or relative density of a liquid.
   • 2006 December 8th, David Biello, “Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term ‘Eureka!’ in the Bath” in Scientific American:

     As Galileo showed in his tract La Bilancetta, or “The Little Balance,” a scientist of Archimedes’ stature could have achieved a far more precise result using his own law of buoyancy and an accurate scale, something far more common in the ancient world than a very precise pycnometer, which is used to measure displacement.

   Synonym: specific gravity bottle

Related terms

• pycnometric
• pycnometry

Translations

vessel used to determine a liquid’s specific gravity

French: pycnomètre (fr) m Greek: πυκνόμετρο (el) n (pyknómetro)

Further reading

• pycnometer on Wikipedia.Wikipedia