Volume of an irregulary shaped object?

Answer 1

To find the volume of an irregular object you may use water displacement. This is basically measuring an amount of water in a graduated cylinder, adding the object, and seeing how much the water level rises. Since 1mL=1cm3, the difference in the two water levels is the volume of the object in cubic centimeters.

Answer 2

Water Displacement Method-- put the object in a graduated cylinder with water in it and subtact the water level without the object from the water level with the object. For example, I fill the graduated cylinder to 500 mL. I put the rock in and it reads 720 mL. 720 mL - 500 mL = 220 mL. The rock has a volume of 220 mL.

Answer 3

An investigator can choose any unit of measure for the volume of an irregularly shaped object. But there might be a bit more to that than this simple answer. Let's investigate.

Anyone measuring the volume of an irregularly shaped object can pick and choose the unit of measure for that object. Whatever unit is chosen, it will be a unit of length (cm, in, ft, m, km, or any other measure of length) cubed. This is the unit length to the third power, if that makes more sense. Let's look a little farther.

If we're considering a bunch of packing boxes, they might be "rated" in cubic inches or cubic feet, depending on the size of the box. Conversions to other units of measure are possible, and to compare the sizes, it makes it easier if all the containers are measured in the same units. (It is more difficult to compare a volume in cm3 to in3 than two volumes which are both set down in cm3 or in3.)

The units of measure will be larger for larger objects, as a generality. Further, volumes can be cited in litres, gallons, barrels, bushels, or other measures of volume that do not involve a distance3 format or form. Conversions may be in order, but that might be obvious. Measuring the volume of the irregular object may prove a challenge, and consideration of the nature of the object might inspire an approach that is effective. Think about different ways that the volume of an object can be discovered and see what comes up.

As we sum up, if an irregularly shaped object has some unknown volume, it might be measured by an "indirect" method. By filling the object with something that can be transferred out and measured another way, or by placing the object in a container with liquid in it, things can be found out. Some "for instances" might help us see things more clearly.

As an example, lets try "sinking" an irregular object in a pail of water and measuring the change of levels. The volume of the object can be calculated by measuring how much liquid it takes to change the level the same amount. If a flower vase, in another example, has an irregular shape, it might be filled with water. That water can then be poured out in stages into a calibrated container, and a very close estimate of the internal volume of the vase could be discovered. Using dry sand, an investigator can also do the same thing without any "wetting" of that irregular object.