Learn volume with boo
3 Minutes
Volume for kids: learn how 2D and 3D shapes differ and how objects take up space using marbles in water. A short maths lesson in English.
- Dropping marbles into a glass to make the water level rise
- Comparing a 2D sheet of paper with a 3D cube
- Defining volume as the space occupied by a 3D object
What this lesson teaches
Volume is the amount of space that a three-dimensional object occupies. Everything that has physical depth and height takes up a measurable amount of space in the place where it sits.
Understanding 2D and 3D shapes
A flat object like a sheet of paper has two dimensions, which are length and breadth. Because it only possesses these two measurements, it is called a two-dimensional or 2D object. A shape like a solid cube has length and breadth, along with an extra measurement called height. An object that has all three of these measurements is called a three-dimensional or 3D object.
How volume works
Every three-dimensional object takes up a certain amount of space in the place where it is placed. That total amount of space occupied by the 3D shape is what is defined as volume. Two-dimensional objects do not occupy space in this manner because they do not have height. A solid 3D shape always fills room corresponding directly to its volume.
The marble in water example
- A marble is a solid three-dimensional object that takes up space.
- When a marble is dropped into water, it occupies room inside the container.
- The water level rises by the exact amount equal to the volume of the marble.
- As more marbles are added into the container, the water level rises higher and higher.
- This rising water level allows liquid that was too low to reach to move upward.
Key ideas about space and dimensions
- Two-dimensional shapes have two dimensions, which are length and breadth.
- Three-dimensional shapes have three dimensions, which are length, breadth, and height.
- Volume is the specific amount of space occupied by any three-dimensional object.
- Adding an object to water displaces the water by the volume of that object.