Year 8 Interactive Maths - Second Edition

Capacity

For example, the capacity of a hot water tank is the volume of water that can fit inside the tank. The capacity of a petrol tank is the volume of petrol that can fit inside the tank.

The standard units often used for capacity are the litre (L) and the millilitre (mL).

A container with an inner volume of 1 cm³ will hold 1 mL of liquid. That is:

We also use the units called kilolitre (kL) and even megalitre (ML).

Note:

Example 7

Express 4 L in mL.

Solution:

Example 8

Express 6500 mL in L.

Solution:

Example 9

Express 3.6 L in cm³.

Solution:

Example 10

Express 5.78 kL in L.

Solution:

Example 11

Express 5760 L in kL.

Solution:

Example 12

A diving pool contains 746 kilolitres of water. How many litres of water does the pool contain?

Solution:

So, the pool contains 746 000 L of water.

Example 13

A reservoir can hold 49 760 megalitres of water. What is its capacity in litres?

Solution:

So, the capacity of the reservoir is 49 760 000 000 L.

Example 14

Express 438 cm³ in litres.

Solution:

Key Terms

capacity, litre, millilitre, kilolitre, megalitre