solids versus soils

In your slides, you show that solid particle density is calculated with the weight and volume of solids. Are solids synonymous with oven dry soil in this context?

Thanks, Will

Hi Will You are partially correct. As per the diagram on slide 8 of lecture #4, on a weight basis (right hand side of the slide), if the soil is dry, there would be no water and since air has negligible mass, the dry weight of the soil = weight of the solids. On a volume basis the volume of the solids does not change, just the relative proportion of pores (voids) filled with water versus air.