How_To_Be_Good_At_Math

MEASUREMENT • THE VOLUMES OF SOLIDS MEASUREMENT • WORKING OUT VOLUME WITH A FORMULA 181

The volume of a cuboid can

be written like this:

Volume of a cuboid =

length x width x height

Let’s work out the volume of

this cereal packet.

First, we multiply the length by

the width: 24 x 8 = 192

The volume of

a cube or cuboid is:

length × width × height

LENGTH

24 cm

WIDTH8 cm

HEIGHT^30

cm

Working out volume

with a formula

There is an easier way to work out the volumes of simple shapes

like cuboids without having to count cubes. Instead, we can use a

formula, calculating the number of units rather than counting them.

TRY IT OUT

Small things in big packages

This robot is going to cram a cardboard box

full of 1 cm³ dice. The box has a volume of

1m³. Can you work out how many dice will

fit in the box using the formula? You might

be surprised! Before you start your

calculation, remember to convert the

dimensions of the box into centimetres.

Next, we multiply the result by

the height: 192 x 30 = 5760

This means that the volume

of the packet is 5760 cm³.

Answer on page 319

1 m 1 m

1 m

180_181_Volume_of_Solids.indd 181 29/02/2016 18:04