Volume and Capacity

• Maths
• Special Education

Volume and Capacity

LO:  I can identify the units to measure liquids.

I can identify the need to measure liquids in everyday life.

What do CAPACITY & VOLUME mean?

CAPACITY is the total amount of liquid a container can hold. We can measure capacity in litres (l) and millilitres (ml). VOLUME is the amount of liquid that is in a container. This changes when liquid is poured in or out.

Which of these would hold more water (have the greatest capacity)?

1. a cup
2. a swimming pool
3. a bath
4. a water bottle

Which of these holds the least water (has the smallest capacity)?

1. an egg cup
2. a coke bottle
3. a teapot
4. a fish tank

Which of these water bottles has the most water in it (the greatest volume?)

1. an empty bottle
2. a half full bottle
3. a full bottle
4. a half empty bottle

What do we measure liquids in?

1. centimetres (cm)
2. kilograms (kg)
3. litres (l)
4. metres (m)

Why do we need to learn to measure volume?

In our everyday lives we need to measure liquids for many reasons:

- to follow a recipe

- to take medicines safely

- to fill the car with petrol

- to load the washing-machine detergent.

Which of these food items would we measure in litres and millilitres?

1. flour
2. milk
3. sugar
4. raisins

Which of these household tasks would we need to measure for?

1. dusting
2. cleaning the bath
3. putting detergent in the washing machine
4. drying up

There are 1,000 millilitres in a litre.

We write millilitres as ml

and litres as l.

A 1 litre bottle of water.

Look at the label to see where the volume is written.

Half a litre is 500ml. 

Look at the label on the bottle.

An ordinary teaspoon holds about 5ml of liquid.

Which of these would you need about 50 litres to fill?

1. A water bottle
2. A glass of milk
3. A medicine spoon
4. A car's petrol tank

Which size bottle would students be given with a packed lunch?

1. 2L
2. 10ml
3. 500ml
4. 5L

Which is the bigger amount of liquid - a litre (L) or a millilitre (ml)?

When do we need to measure liquids in everyday life?