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No, not with any degree of precision, anyway. A ruler is a linear measuring device; that is, it's good for measuring distances that are in straight lines. Volume is the amount of space an item occupies. To measure volume requires making three linear measurements, one for length, one for width(or depth), and one for height. But if your object is irregularly shaped, as a rock surely is, well, a ruler isn't going to do the job. Not very well, at least. You could grossly approximate the volume of the rock by measuring its dimensions roughly. In other words, if the rock is "about" six inches long and about three inches wide and about four inches high, then its volume is about 6 x 3 x 4 = 72 cubic inches (or inches cubed). But that is a very inexact calculation, because the rock is not a perfect parallelepiped. (What the heck is THAT? Double click the word for a definition.) A set of calipers would be better than a ruler, but your approximation would be only a bit better. To really determine the volume of the rock, you could submerge it in water and measure the amount of water it displaces. It might be a cool experiment to take a rock and approximate its volume with a ruler, calipers, and a beaker of water, to see how accurate (or inaccurate) each method is.
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoFirst for example if you are measuring a cube you would first measure the length and width then how tall it is and multiply all of the length, width, and how tall it is and you get your answer.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoTechnically yes if you take the time to measure length, width, and height of the rectangular prism your looking at.
Just make sure you don't try this on anything with a circumference.
Lyllian Copeland
yes
Wiki User
∙ 11y agono
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Why can't you use a ruler to measure the volume of an irregular object?
because the shape has no correct sides.
What instrument measures the volume of a block?
A ruler or measuring tape. Multiply height times length times width to get volume.
Using a ruler how to measure an angle?
You cannot measure an angle using a ruler.
What pieces of lab equipment measure volume?
There are three ways to measure volume. If you are measuring a liquid, you need a graduated cyliner. If you are measuring the volume of a regular solid, you need a ruler to measure length, width, and height. You would then use the formula V=LxWxH. The third way to measure volume is to use displacement to find the volume of an irregular solid. You would put a certain amount of water in a graduated cylinder, write the starting amount down. Add the irregular solid to the graduated cylinder. Record the ending amount of liquid and subtract the ending amount minus the starting amount.
What unit should you use to measure the length of a book?
Any sort of scale can be used to measure weight, which can then be used to help calculate mass. There do exist 'massometers', but those are usually less common except in laboratory environments.
What tool do you use to measure the volume of a rectangular solid?
A ruler or tape measure.
How do you find the volume of a rectanglular object with a ruler?
Measure the length, measure the width, measure the height, and multiply them all together. LxWxH = volume
What instrument measures the volume of a shoe box?
A ruler or tape measure would be the best tool. You cannot measure the volume directly. First, measure the length, width and height with the ruler and use the formula of volume of cubiod (L x W x H)
How are the volumes different when you use a graduated cylinder and a metric ruler?
A metric ruler measure a legth not a volume.
How will you measure volume of irregular solid?
use a ruler to measure the lenght of each side of the object
How do you measure volume of cement in cubic meter?
using a cubic ruler
What would you measure the volume of a cube with?
A ruler. Measure one of the sides, and take that measurement times itself three times, and you'll have the volume.
How can you measure the volume of an object if it is not shaped like a box.?
take a peice of string and see how long the amount is then measure the amount of string on to a ruler and that's your volume :)
Why cant you use a ruler to find the volume of a paperclip?
A ruler is used to measure length and does not account for the height or width of an object, which are necessary to calculate its volume. To find the volume of a paperclip, you need to measure its dimensions in three dimensions using a tool such as a caliper or by using a water displacement method.
Which is used to measure volume?
Metric measure of volume in cubic meters and gallons used in the English system.
What instrument measures the volume of a rectangular box?
There is not an instrument designed to measure the volume of a rectangular box. You would use a ruler or tape measure or similar to measure its linear dimensions and a brain to multiply them together.
Why is the graduated cylinder used instead of a ruler to measure the volume of a rock?
Because most rocks are not made up of common geometric shapes, it would be difficult or impossible to find the volume of a rock using a ruler; there would be no easy way to measure the rock's irregular volume. However, by measuring the volume of liquid a rock displaces, its volume can easily be determined.
