Measuring Volume by Counting
Aligned to 5.MD.C.4 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
What this lesson teaches
You can measure the volume of a solid by counting how many unit cubes fill it. We name the units by the cube size, like cubic centimeters (cubic cm) or cubic inches. Count each layer, then add up all the layers.
Worked example
A box is 4 cm wide, 3 cm deep, and 2 cm tall, filled with 1-cm cubes. One layer has 4 × 3 = 12 cubes. There are 2 layers, so 12 + 12 = 24 cubes. The volume is 24 cubic cm.
Practice questions
- A box holds one layer of 5 × 2 unit cubes. How many cubes is that?
- A box is 3 units wide, 3 units deep, and 3 units tall. How many cubes fill it?
- A box has 10 cubes in each layer and is 4 layers tall. What is its volume in cubic units?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Medir el volumen contando
Puedes medir el volumen de un sólido contando cuántos cubos unitarios lo llenan. Nombramos las unidades según el tamaño del cubo, como centímetros cúbicos (cm cúbicos) o pulgadas cúbicas. Cuenta cada capa y luego suma todas las capas.
Ejemplo: Una caja mide 4 cm de ancho, 3 cm de fondo y 2 cm de alto, llena de cubos de 1 cm. Una capa tiene 4 × 3 = 12 cubos. Hay 2 capas, así que 12 + 12 = 24 cubos. El volumen es 24 cm cúbicos.
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