Specific volume is commonly applied to: Imagine a variable-volume, airtight chamber containing a certain number of atoms of oxygen gas.
Consider the following four examples: Specific volume is a property of materials, defined as the number of cubic meters occupied by one kilogram of a particular substance.
Sometimes specific volume is expressed in terms of the number of cubic centimeters occupied by one gram of a substance.
If the density of a substance doubles, its specific volume, as expressed in the same base units, is cut in half.
Specific volume is the inverse of the density of a substance; therefore, careful consideration must be taken account when dealing with situations that involve gases.
[2] If one sets out to determine the specific volume of an ideal gas, such as super heated steam, using the equation ν = RT/P, where pressure is 2500 lbf/in2, R is 0.596, temperature is 1960 °R.
The values were recorded at standard temperature and pressure, which is defined as air at 0 °C (273.15 K, 32 °F) and 1 atm (101.325 kN/m2, 101.325 kPa, 14.7 psia, 0 psig, 30 in Hg, 760 torr).