Liquid volume is how much a container holds.
Litre is a unit of liquid volume. A large bottle of water holds about one litre.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
For small amounts there is a smaller unit.
Millilitre is a thousandth of a litre. A teaspoon holds about 5 millilitres.
Reading a beaker
A beaker is a number line stood on end. Read the level against the marks.
Litres and millilitres
Capacity is how much a container holds. A large bottle of water is about 1 litre; a teaspoon is about 5 millilitres. One litre is 1,000 millilitres — again the thousand-based relationship, which is what makes metric units easy to convert.
Reading a measuring jug
Put the jug on a flat surface and look at it level with the liquid, not from above. The surface curves slightly at the edges, so read from the flat middle. These are real laboratory habits and they are worth learning properly the first time.
Shape does not tell you capacity
A tall thin glass and a short wide one can hold the same amount. The only way to know is to measure, or to pour one into the other. Judging capacity by height is one of the classic mistakes, and it is worth testing with real containers.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Tap and try it out.
0100200300400500
350 ml
The level sits between marks. Count on from the mark below it.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Leo Read a Beaker
Leo pours juice into a beaker marked every 100 ml.
- Step 1
He looks for the mark below the level: 300.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Bottle
Problem 1 of 2
How many millilitres are in one litre?
ml
Two Jugs
Problem 2 of 2
A jug holds 400 ml and another holds 250 ml. How much altogether?
ml
Volume
1 of 3
How many millilitres in 2 litres?
2 of 3
Which unit fits a spoonful of medicine?
3 of 3
A 500 ml jug loses 150 ml. How much is left?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
How many millilitres are in one litre?
Question 2 of 2
The level is halfway between 100 and 200 ml. How much is in the beaker?
What You Learned
- Liquid volume is how much a container holds.
- Millilitres for small amounts, litres for large ones.
- One litre is 1,000 millilitres.