What is the ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume of the soil known as?

The term that describes the ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume of the soil is known as porosity. Porosity represents the proportion of the soil that is made up of voids, which can be filled with air or water. It is an important property in soil mechanics, as it influences various characteristics of soil, including its ability to retain water, its compressibility, and its shear strength.

By understanding porosity, engineers and geologists can assess how soil will behave under different conditions, including its drainage capacity and the space available for water or contaminant migration. This makes it a critical parameter for many civil engineering applications, such as in the design of foundations, embankments, and water retention structures.

In contrast, other terms mentioned do not specifically refer to the ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume. The void ratio, for example, expresses the volume of voids relative to the volume of solids, which is a different measurement. Density pertains to mass per unit volume, while water content refers to the amount of water contained in the soil in relation to the dry weight of the soil. These terms, while related to soil properties, do not represent the specific measurement of voids compared to total volume