Lesson 10 — Activity 3: Measuring Capacity and Volume



Getting Ready


This activity will focus on capacity and volume. Capacity is the amount a container can hold. Another unit that is associated with capacity is volume. Volume is how much space an object takes up.


In this activity, you will first learn about capacity and then look at volume measurements.


Think about This:

The oil, juice, and gasoline containers below illustrate capacity.




Can you think of examples of containers that you have in your home that illustrate capacity?


Courtesy of Pixabay

The two units of measurement that we use the most when talking about capacity are the millilitre and the litre.


  • A millilitre (ml) is 1/1,000th of a litre.

  • Medicines are often measured in ml.

          

  • Food and ingredients for cooking can also be measured in ml.

Courtesy of Getty



Courtesy of Pixabay



Courtesy of Pixabay

  • A litre (l) is the same as 1,000 ml or 1 kg.
  • It is used to measure liquids and other containers that hold a product such as gas tanks, cooking pots, and jugs. A large bottle of pop holds 2 litres.



Remember:
  • To measure an object that has a small capacity, use millilitres.
  • To measure an object that has a larger capacity, use litres.


Try This:

Practise choosing the appropriate unit of measure for the items below.



If you wanted to measure the capacity of a gas container to fill your lawn mower, you would choose:
  • millilitres (ml)
  • litres (l)


The most appropriate unit would be litres (l).






Courtesy of Pixabay



Courtesy of Pixabay

If you wanted to measure the capacity of the amount of cough syrup you need to take, you would choose:
  • millilitres (ml)
  • litres (l)


 The most appropriate unit would be millilitres (ml).




Let's now look at volume. Here's an example to help tell the difference between capacity and volume.


Capacity is the amount of water required to fill this fish tank. (ml or l)

Volume is the space the tank and water takes up.



Courtesy of Pixabay



The two units of measurement that we use the most when talking about volume are the cubic centimetre and the cubic metre.

The cubic centimetre can be written as cm3 and the cubic metre can be written as m3.


          

Courtesy of Pixabay

  • A cubic centimetre (cm3) is the volume of a cube that is 1 cm long by 1 cm wide by 1 cm high.

  • A die is about a cubic centimetre in volume.


  • A cubic metre (m3) is the volume of a cube 1 m long by 1 m wide by 1 m high.
  • A dishwasher is about a cubic metre in size. Both cubic centimetres and cubic metres are normally used to measure items that are not in liquid form.



Courtesy of Pixabay

Digging Deeper

Click here to try an activity that explains more about the difference between capacity and volume. (Complete the first topic in this series.)




Digging Deeper

Click here to try the Taking Measures — Capacity Game. (Click on Start, then click on the blank screen.)



Digging Deeper

Click here to watch a video that shows a day in the life of an ice cream producer and distributor. Look for examples of measuring capacity in the video.