Explain the Importance of pH Testing in Everyday Life
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
The importance of pH testing in everyday life is immense. The pH test is a method of measuring the acid or base level of any substance. It helps us to find out how acidic or basic a substance is and based on the findings, we can determine the usefulness of the substance.
Table of content
pH Testing in Everyday Life
By testing pH in daily life, we can determine:
- pH changes occur in substances necessary for human, plant, or animal survival.
- This is important to know because plants and animals survive only narrow pH changes.
- Soil pH testing is important because changes in pH value make it infertile.
- Testing the pH value of rainwater to check for the occurrence of acid rain (which occurs at pH < 5.6).
- When humans have acidity problems, it indicates a low pH value in our stomach. Tooth decay indicates a low pH value in the mouth.
Importance of pH Testing
As discussed above, the importance of pH testing can help us avoid and solve many problems. A pH scale is used to measure the value of a substance. Here’s what the value of a substance determines on the pH scale determines:
- pH value 1 – 6 (Acid)
- pH value 7 – Neutral
- pH value 8 – 14 (Alkaline)
pH is the negative logarithm of hydronium ion concentration. It is expressed as pH = -log[H3O+]. On the pH scale, the pH value is measured between 0 (very acidic) and 14 (very alkaline). The pH of neutral water at room temperature is 7. A solution with a pH value lower than 7 is acidic while a solution with a pH value higher than 7 is alkaline in nature. An increase in the pH value from 7 to 14 represents an increase in the OH– ion concentration in the solution.
Related Questions:
