Illustrated · 1 min
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Volume is a measure of space. Specifically, it is the amount of space occupied by a certain substance, object, or item. Volume is measured in different units of volume depending on what item is being measured.
Solid volume is measured in cubic meters. It is derived from the length times width times height (L x W x H) of a solid. It is measured in cubic meters because it is found by multiplying three lengths together. All of the prefixes that apply to meters are also used to measure volume such as cubic centimeters and others. Solid volume can also be measured in cubic inches, primarily in the US.
Liquid volumes are measured in liters. It is usually measured in graduated cylinders or beakers. Liters are also modified by prefixes such as milliliters. Solid volume can also be found in liters through fluid displacement which is when a solid is placed in a liquid, causing the volume to increase and then the new volume is subtracted from the original, resulting in the solid's volume.
Liquid can also be measured in fluid ounces, often a unit used in the US. One fluid ounce (oz) is equal to about 30 milliliters. We can use numerous conversion factors to switch between metric units and other units.
The volume of a gas can be calculated by the ideal gas law. The ideal gas law is an equation where one may calculate the volume of a gas if they know the values of certain variables, including pressure, temperature, and the number of moles of gas present.
Volume as measured by length, width, and height and liquid volume are proportional. 1 liter = 1 cubic decimeter or, more simply, 1 milliliter = 1 cubic centimeter.
