Final answer:
The pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, is used to measure how acidic or basic a substance is. Substances with a pH below 7 are acidic, pH above 7 are basic, and a pH of 7 is neutral. The pH value is critical in various fields including medicine and agriculture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The range of values that indicate how acidic or basic a substance is, is known as the pH scale. The pH scale is measured from 0 to 14, where substances with a pH less than 7 are considered acidic, a pH of exactly 7 indicates a neutral solution, and a pH greater than 7 is indicative of a basic (alkaline) substance. For instance, human blood with a pH of 7.4 is slightly basic, household ammonia with a pH of 11.0 is considerably basic, and cherries with a pH of 3.6 are acidic.
Understanding the pH scale is crucial for many chemical, biological, and environmental applications. It serves as a quick determination of a substance's acidity or basicity. For example, pH is important in medicine to maintain the correct blood pH and in agriculture for soil analysis.