pH, commonly used for water measurements, is a measure of acidity and alkalinity, or the caustic and
base present in a given solution.
It is generally expressed with a numeric scale ranging from 0-14. The value 7 represents neutrality. The
numbers on the scale increase with increasing alkalinity, while the numbers on the scale decrease with
increasing acidity. Each unit of change represents a tenfold change in acidity or alkalinity. The pH
value is also equal to the negative logarithm of the hydrogen-ion concentration or hydrogen-ion
activity. pH values for some common solutions are listed in the table to the right.