Water content measured against total sample weight can exceed 100 percent

Evidence

The water content of soil samples was calculated as the (weight of water)/(total sample weight), and not using the dry sample weight. This calculation sometimes gives a value greater than 100%. — Donald G. Albert, Michelle E. Swearingen, Frank E. Perron, and David L. Carbee, Low Frequency Acoustic Pulse…, 123

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies a non-obvious measurement convention that explains otherwise impossible-looking values in the accompanying data table.
• CANDY: A water content over 100% sounds like a data error but is just a denominator choice — decent cocktail-party trivia.