Volume is literally the "amount of space filled." But on a practical level, we often want to know about capacity -- how much does a container hold? -- so we often measure volume as the number of units it takes to "fill the object." Visualizing and counting three-dimensional arrays of cubes is at the core of understanding volume.

We measure volume using both liquid measures (e.g., milliliters, deciliters, and liters; pints, quarts, and gallons) and solid measures (e.g., cubic centimeters, cubic decimeters, and cubic meters; cubic inches, cubic feet, and cubic yards). Note 1 In this session we will focus primarily on measuring volume using solid measures.

For information on required and/or optional materials in this session, see Note 2.

In this session, you will do the following:

Find the volume of objects by considering the number of cubes that will fit into a space

Find volume using standard and nonstandard unit measures

Consider the increase in volume in solids when the scale factor changes (scaling up and down)

Explore how volume formulas are derived and related

Throughout the session you will be prompted to view short video segments. In addition to these excerpts, you may choose to watch the full-length video of this session.

Previously Introduced:

New in This Session:

volume

cone
cross section
cylinder
net
prism
sphere

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