MEASURING THE VOLUME OF AN IRREGULAR SHAPED SOLID

A volume of 1 cm3 occupies as much space as a 1 cm x 1cm x 1cm cube. This is

the same amount of space occupied by 1 millilitre (mL) of a fluid.

We can find the volume of a rock by using a known volume of water and the
idea of displacement of water. Displacement of water is when water is pushed
out of the way and the amount of water equals the volume of the object.

EXPERIMENT

If an object is put into water, it pushes water out of the way by the same
amount as the volume in the rock. This is called displacement of water.

Aim: to calculate the volume of a rock using the displacement method.

Method:

1. Half fill a 100 mL measuring cylinder with water to exactly 20 mL.

2. Carefully place an object tied to a string into the cylinder (do not spill
any water).
3. Read and record the new water level.
4. Calculate the rock’s volume by

Total water + rock volume – water volume only= volume of rock

Results: Original volume of water= 20 mL

Volume of water + rock= 23 mL

Volume of rock= 23-20=3 mL

Questions:

1. Explain the idea of displacement.

2. How would you measure the volume of a regular solid?