What Volume Means
Aligned to 5.MD.C.3 — Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
What this lesson teaches
Volume is the amount of space a solid figure takes up. We measure it with unit cubes, which are cubes that are 1 unit long on every side. One unit cube fills exactly 1 cubic unit of space, so we count cubes to find volume.
Worked example
Picture a box filled with unit cubes. The bottom layer has 3 cubes across and 2 cubes deep, which is 3 × 2 = 6 cubes. If the box is 2 layers tall, that is 6 cubes in each layer × 2 layers = 12 unit cubes. So the volume is 12 cubic units.
Practice questions
- A single layer has 4 cubes across and 3 cubes deep. How many cubes are in that layer?
- If that layer is stacked 2 high, what is the total volume in cubic units?
- Why does one unit cube equal exactly 1 cubic unit of volume?
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
Qué significa el volumen
El volumen es la cantidad de espacio que ocupa una figura sólida. Lo medimos con cubos unitarios, que son cubos de 1 unidad de largo en cada lado. Un cubo unitario llena exactamente 1 unidad cúbica de espacio, así que contamos cubos para hallar el volumen.
Ejemplo: Imagina una caja llena de cubos unitarios. La capa de abajo tiene 3 cubos de ancho y 2 cubos de fondo, o sea 3 × 2 = 6 cubos. Si la caja tiene 2 capas de alto, eso es 6 cubos en cada capa × 2 capas = 12 cubos unitarios. Así, el volumen es 12 unidades cúbicas.
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