Lesson 2

 

Volume of Solids

Cup of sugar. {104vol16.jpg (14352 bytes)} Solids with regular geometric shapes. {104vol17.jpg (16243 bytes)}
Solid samples also have volume. If they are powder or granular you can measure their volume the same as a liquid, a cup of flour or sugar, for example. If the sample is in a regular geometric shape, its dimensions can be measured and its volume calculated.


The volume of a solid sample can also be measured by displacement. This usually involves three steps:

Cylinder with blue water. {104vol19.jpg (11833 bytes)} Add solid to cylinder with blue water. {104vol20.jpg (13972 bytes)} Cylinder with blue water and solid. {104vol21.jpg (12062 bytes)}
1) measure the volume of liquid in a partially filled graduated cylinder, 2) add the solid (making sure it is submerged) and note how the level of the liquid goes up, 3) measure the combined volume of the solid and liquid. The difference between the initial and final volumes is the volume of the solid.