10.05 Volume and capacity
Are you ready?
We have looked at units of volume and units of capacity . It is important that we remember the difference.
Examples
Example 1
What is the most appropriate unit for measuring the volume of a box?
Example 2
Choose the most appropriate unit of measure for finding the amount of water in a dam.
Volume measures the amount of space an object takes up. Some units are: \text{mm}^3, \,\text{cm}^3, \,\text{m}^3.
Capacity measures the amount of liquid an object can hold. Some units are: \text{mL}, \,\text{L}, \,\text{kL}, \,\text{ML}.
Volume and capacity
Let's look at how to convert between millilitres (\text{mL}) and cubic centimetres (\text{cm}^3).
Examples
Example 3
Convert 40 millilitres (\text{mL}) to cubic centimetres (\text{cm}^3).
Below are the conversions between volume and capacity:
\begin{array}{c} &\text{Volume} & &\text{Capacity} \\ &1 \text{ cm}^3 &= &1 \text{ mL} \\ &1000 \text{ cm}^3 &= &1 \text{ L} \\ &1 \text{ m}^3 &= &1000 \text{ L} \\ &1 \text{ m}^3 &= &1 \text{ kL} \\ \end{array}