Volume

I can find the volume of a cuboid by counting cubes or multiplying length, width and height.

For grown-ups: this lesson in words

Years 5 and 6 · Maths

Volume is the amount of space a solid shape takes up.
This small cube is 1 cm long, 1 cm wide and 1 cm high.
Its volume is 1 cubic centimetre. We write 1 cm³.
Picture: 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm: a cube.
We can build with centimetre cubes. First, one row of 3 cubes.
A second row makes the layer 2 cubes wide.
3 × 2 = 6
Picture: An array of 2 rows of 3 cubes. The rows are counted in 3s: 3 and 6.
Layer 1 has 6 cubes.
Layer 2 is another 6 cubes.
Put the layers together and count every cube.
6 + 6 = 12. The volume is 12 cm³.
Picture: Layer 1: 6 cubes and Layer 2: 6 cubes. The groups are pushed together and counted. 12 cubes altogether.
Here is that cuboid as one solid: 3 cm long, 2 cm wide and 2 cm high.
There is a quicker way than counting. Multiply the length, the width and the height.
3 × 2 × 2 = 12
Volume = length × width × height. The volume is 12 cm³.
Picture: 3 cm × 2 cm × 2 cm: a cuboid.
Your turn: Here is one layer of centimetre cubes. Each cube is 1 cm³. What is the volume of the layer in cm³?
Picture: An array of 2 rows of 4 cubes.
Type a number (cm³).
Answer
The answer: 8 cm³
4 + 4 = 8. The volume is 8 cm³.
Picture: An array of 2 rows of 4 cubes. The rows are counted in 4s: 4 and 8.

volume:: The amount of space a solid shape takes up.
cuboid:: A box shape with 6 flat faces that are rectangles.
cubic centimetre:: The space inside a cube 1 cm long, 1 cm wide and 1 cm high. We write cm³.
cubic metre:: The space inside a cube 1 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high. We write m³.
capacity:: How much a container can hold, measured in millilitres or litres.

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