Ten Minute Math

Capacity It’s all about liquid measurement

What is capacity? Capacity is the amount of liquid that an object can hold. We can use metric or customary units to measure capacity. Today we will be focusing on the metric units of capacity!

Metric Units of Capacity-Milliliter Milliliters are very small units of metric capacity. One milliliter (mL) is about the amount of liquid in an eyedropper. In fact, a milliliter is equal to about 4 drops of water. You use milliliters to measure small amounts of liquids, such as the amount of medicine to give a baby.

Metric Units of Capacity-Liter Liters are the larger units of metric capacity. 1 Liter (L) = 1,000 milliliters (mL) You would use liters to measure the amount of water in a sports bottle or the amount of gasoline in a gas can.

Let’s look at some more examples of Metric Capacity! About how many milliliters of water would fill the thimble shown? A.0 mL B.10 mL C.20mL D.30mL

Let’s try another one… Marcie has to put eye drops in her eyes twice a day for a week. Do you think the bottle the medicine comes in is measured in liters or milliliters? A. Liters B. Milliliters

One last example… Ruth and Ben each measured the capacity of an aquarium. Ben measured the capacity in liters, and Ruth measured the capacity in milliliters. Which students’ measurement had the higher number? A. Ben B. Ruth

Interactive Math Drip and Drag html html

Independent Practice Math Textbook: Page /8-20, 23-25

Closure When would you need to measure the capacity of a container in metric units?