1: Calculating Volume

First, read the text. Then answer the questions below orally.

Calculating Volume of Regular Objects

Before doing the next task, think about these questions:

1. How do you know how long a line is?

2. How do you measure how much space a flat square takes up?

3. How many dimensions do a line and a flat square have?

4. How do we measure a three-dimensional object?

5. Which units of measurement do we use for a line? A flat square? A cube?

Now calculate the volume of the four regular objects.

Calculating Volume of Irregular Objects

To measure the volume of irregular objects, we cannot simply use a measuring tape like we can with regular objects. Instead, we can use water and measure how much water is displaced (moved out of the way for another object). Read the tips at the top of the page. Then measure how much water is in each graduated cylinder. Remember: the measuring marks are on the side of the cylinder, not the middle.