New
New
Year 3

Understanding capacity and volume

I can understand and use capacity and volume.

New
New
Year 3

Understanding capacity and volume

I can understand and use capacity and volume.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Different containers have different capacities - they hold a different amount of liquid.
  2. We can use the scale on the measuring container to tell us the volume of liquid in the container.
  3. The volume of liquids in different containers can be compared using the scale.

Keywords

  • Capacity - Capacity is a measure of the maximum amount of liquid a container can hold when full. Capacity can be measured in millilitres.

  • Volume - Volume is the amount of space that an object takes up. In this case, the specific amount of liquid in a container.

  • Milliliitre - The millilitre is a metric measure of capacity or volume. A millilitre is a very small amount of liquid. The abbreviation is ml.

Common misconception

Confusion between the terms capacity and volume.

Capacity is the whole amount of liquid that a container can hold. Volume is the actual amount of liquid in the container.

Lesson practical where possible. Children need to experience containers that have different capacities and different volumes of liquids in them. Children need to get a good understanding of the difference between capacity and volume.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Look at the containers. Which container would hold more liquid?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: The jug would hold more liquid than the glass.
The glass would hold more liquid than the jug.
They would both hold the same amount of liquid.
Q2.
Look at the containers. Container A would hold container B.
An image in a quiz
less liquid than
Correct answer: more liquid than
Q3.
Look at the number line. Identify the missing number.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 500
Q4.
Look at this sequence of numbers. Which number will come next?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 350
Q5.
Match the calculation to its answer.
Correct Answer:300 - 100,200

200

Correct Answer:250 + 150 = ,400

400

Correct Answer:200 + 300 + 100 = ,600

600

Correct Answer:250 + 150 + 300 =,700

700

Correct Answer:500 - 200 = ,300

300

Q6.
Look at these containers. Tick the statements that are correct.
An image in a quiz
The kettle holds less than the cup.
Correct answer: The cup holds less than the kettle.
Correct answer: The green and grey bottle hold the same amount.
Correct answer: The green bottle holds more than the cup but less than the kettle.
The grey bottle holds less than the grey bottle and less than the cup.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which jug has the greatest capacity?
An image in a quiz
Jug A has the greatest capacity.
Jug B has the greatest capacity.
Correct answer: The both have the same capacity.
Q2.
Starting with the smallest, put these jugs in order of their capacity.
An image in a quiz
1 - A
2 - C
3 - B
Q3.
Look at this container. Match the sentence stem to the appropriate measure.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:The jug's capacity is,1000 ml

1000 ml

Correct Answer:The volume of the liquid is,600 ml

600 ml

Q4.
Starting with the container with the smallest volume of liquid, put these jugs in order.
An image in a quiz
1 - C
2 - A
3 - B
Q5.
Look at these jugs. The are both filled to their capacity. The liquid from these jugs is poured into a third jug. What what would be the total volume of liquid in that jug?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 900 ml, 900, 900ml
Q6.
Look at these containers and the given volume of liquid that they contain. How much greater is the volume of liquid in the kettle than the cup?
An image in a quiz
750 ml
550 ml
Correct answer: 450 ml