Volume of a body is the amount of space it occupies. The unit of measurement for volume is the cube, whose edges are of equal length. The volume of a box, for example, may be measured in either cubic feet or cubic meters.
There are several ways of measuring the volume of a substance, depending upon the shape of the substance and whether it is a solid or liquid. The volume of a rectangular solid, such as a box, is found by multiplying the length by the width by the depth (or height). This could be stated in the formula, v = lwd (or lwh). A cubic foot equals 1,728 cubic inches, and a cubic meter equals 1,000,000 cubic centimeters.
The volume of a cylinder is determined by multiplying the area of the base by the height, or v = πr2h. The area of the base is obtained by multiplying π (or about 3.1416) by the square of its radius. The volume of a sphere is computed by the formula v = 4/3πr3 (or about 4.189r3).
Liquids are usually measured by special glass devices having a graduated scale. In the customary, or English, system of measurement, the main units are the gallon, quart, pint, and fluid ounce. A gallon equals four quarts, a quart equals two pints, and a pint equals sixteen fluid ounces. In the metric, or SI, system, liquids are measured mainly in milliliters and liters. One liter is equal to 1,000 milliliters.
