Capacity

In math, capacity refers to the maximum amount of fluid a container can hold, essentially its "internal volume". While often used interchangeably with volume (the amount of space an object occupies), capacity specifically measures how much a container can contain, typically in units like liters, milliliters, cups, or gallons. You can find the capacity of a simple rectangular container by multiplying its length, width, and height, and then converting the resulting cubic units to a volume-based unit like milliliters.

  This video explains what capacity is with visual examples:

Key Concepts:

• Capacity vs. Volume: Capacity is the internal space available to hold something, while volume is the total space an object takes up. 

• Units of Measurement:

  • 1. Metric System: Uses liters (L) and milliliters (ml), with 1 liter equal to 1,000 milliliters. 

    2. Customary System (U.S.): Uses fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons. 

• Calculating Capacity: For a rectangular container, you calculate its volume (Length × Width × Height) and then often express this volume as a capacity (e.g., 325 cm³ is 325 ml). 

• Measuring Capacity: To find the capacity of an unknown container, you can fill it with a liquid and then pour that liquid into a graduated cylinder to read the measurement. 

This video explains how to measure capacity: