noun
- An instrument used to measure the density or specific gravity of liquids or solids by determining their volume and mass.
Usage: Also called a pycnometer.; Technical term used in chemistry and materials science.
Examples
- The chemist used a pyknometer to determine the density of the unknown liquid sample.
- A pyknometer consists of a small glass bottle with a precisely calibrated volume.
- The laboratory purchased several new pyknometers for the materials testing department.
- By weighing the pyknometer filled with the sample, we could calculate its specific gravity.