Liter: The Standard Unit of Volume
Matter takes up space; the measure of this space is volume. The liter (L) and its subdivision the milliliter (ml) are usually reserved for liquids. Liquid helps us to determine the volume of various containers, particularly if they have an irregular shape.
Cubic centimeter: A unit of measure equal to the space enclosed by a cube 1 cm by 1 cm by 1cm.
Cubic meter: A unit of measure equal to the space enclosed by a cube 1 m by 1 m by 1m.
Suppose that you were asked to put in order the following containers from the one that would hold the most to the one that would hold the least. Just looking at them would not be a great deal of help. We need to know how much each one holds. To find out how much each one holds we need to use a standard unit of volume for comparison. Suppose that each one holds the amount shown in the chart. Now you can easily order them from the one that will hold the most to the one that will hold the least. The order would be D, C, G, B, E, A, and F.
A cubic centimeter of water and a milliliter of water have the same volume. A cubic centimeter is the size of a container that will hold exactly one milliliter of water. Therefore, a cubic centimeter and a milliliter are the same (1 cm³ = 1 ml).
Stanley the Scientist Talks About Volume
Volume of a cube = Length × Width × Height
1 cm × 1 cm × 1cm = 1cm3 (1 cubic cm)
1 cm3 = 1ml
Example: 1 cubic cm of liquid = 1 milliliter of liquid
A liter (L) contains one thousand milliliters (ml). A milliliter is one-thousandth (.001) of a liter.
Cubes
The volume of a container or solid can be measured in cubic meters (m³) or in cubic centimeters (cm³) as well as in liters and milliliters. When scientists defined the unit of mass, the gram, they used a cube that measured one centimeter on each edge. The cube was filled with distilled water. The water took up space, but how much space? The simple way of finding the volume of the water is to calculate the volume of the cube. The volume of the cube is determined by first finding the product of the number of units of length (l) and the number of units of the width (w) of the cube. This product, multiplied by the number of units of height (h) of the cube, will give the number of the cubic units in the volume of the cube (l × w × h). The water sample is 1 × 1 × 1 or 1 cubic centimeter (cm³). Thus the space that was occupied by one gram of water, under a certain set of conditions, can be used as the basic unit of volume. The volume of complex shaped containers can be determined by measuring how many milliliters or liters of water they can hold. If an irregular shaped container is found to hold exactly 436 ml of water, then its volume is also equal to 436 cm3.
