Measuring in litres - Maths - Learning with 91�ȱ� Bitesize

Why do we measure in litres?

Capacity is the amount of liquid a container can hold.

Volume is how much liquid is in the container.

We can measure both in millilitres and litres.

A litre is much more than a millilitre.

1 litre = 1000 millilitres

We shorten litre to 'l', so we might also say:

1 l = 1000 ml

We use litres to measure larger capacities. For example, how much water you might drink in a day or how much paint is needed to paint a room.

Watch: Measuring length, weight and volume

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Example 1

Can you match these containers to their capacity in litres?

Which one is 500 litres?
Which is 1 litre?
Which is 10 litres?

Container	Capacity
Milk bottle	1 litre
Bucket	10 litres
Paddling pool	500 litres

Example 2

Jasmine has two bottles, one filled with 5 litres of juice and an empty bottle that holds 3 litres.

She fills the 3 litre bottle by pouring from the 5 litre bottle.

Which bottle now has the most juice?

A juice bottle with 5 litre, a milk bottle with 3 litres and a girl thinking.

A glass of orange juice, a bottle of milk and a bottle of water

Activity

Be your own measurement detective and work with a parent or guardian to find objects around your home which hold up to 1 litre, for example a bottle of water or a can of orange juice.

Can you find a container that holds exactly 500ml?
Can you find a container that holds exactly 1l?
Which container holds the most?
Which container holds the least?

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