Physical Properties
Volume
Volume is the amount of space that a material occupies. Cubic units are used to describe the volume of a solid. To determine the volume of a regularly shaped solid, you have to measure its length (l ), width (w ), and height (h ) with a ruler. Then compute for the volume using the formula shown below:
l x w x h
If you want to get the volume of a regular solid with length of 5 centimeters (cm), width of 5 cm, and height of 12 cm, multiply the numbers, as follows:
5 cm x 5 cm x 12 cm = 300 cm3
Thus, the volume of the medicine box is 300 cubic centimeters (cm3).
To get the volume of an irregular solid such as a marble or a piece of rock, you may use the displacement method. In this method, you will need a graduated cylinder and some water.
Suppose you place 200 milliliters (mL) of water in a cylinder. If you drop a rock into the water, the level of the water rises to 240 mL. Get the volume of the rock by subtracting the amount of water without the rock from the one with it.
240mL – 200 mL = 40 mL
Thus, 40 mL is the volume of the rock.
