# Volume and Capacity

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## Difference Between Volume and Capacity

In our day to day lives, we came across so many three-dimensional objects, that occupy a certain volume. The volume of a given substance refers to the total amount of space that it covers, that is when you measure the space region that is taken up by a solid object it is referred to as volume. Conversely, capacity refers to the quantity of something that a container holds. In short, capacity is known as the container’s volume. Due to many similarities between the two, the volume is usually confused with the capacity. However, there are a few but significant differences between volume and capacity that one can understand when they learn their meaning, unit of the measurement, etc. In this article, we will learn about the difference between volume and capacity, the measurement of volume, and the measurement of capacity for class 2.

Let us take a look at the significant differences between the volume and the capacity.

## Difference Between Volume and Capacity

 Volume Capacity Volume is the total amount of space that is covered by an object. Capacity is the ability of an object to contain a substance that is either solid, liquid, or gas. It refers to the actual amount of something that covers a definite space. It refers to the potential amount of substance that an object is able to hold. Volume is measured in cubic units like cubic centimeter and cubic meter. Capacity is measured in metric units like liters, gallons, etc. Both the solid and hollow objects have volume. Only hollow objects have the capacity.

### What is Meant by Volume

Let us learn about what is meant by volume in detail in this section.

In mathematics, the term volume is referred to as the amount of the three-dimensional space that is occupied by the matter. It is nothing but space, which is taken up by the substance that can be either solid, liquid or gas. It measures the overall size of the given closed surface.

The volume of a given object is to be calculated by multiplying its length, width and height. This is given by:

$V = l\times b\times h$

Generally, it is measured in the cubic units that are cubic litres, cubic meters, cubic centimetres, etc., that indicates the number of cubes that are required to fill the object. Further, depending on what is the shape of the object, its volume tends to change. The assessment of the volume of a given object gives you an insight of how much space is actually covered by the object.

### What is Meant by Capacity

Let us now learn about capacity and the measurement of capacity for class 3.

The term capacity is referred to the ability of the hollow object for holding substance which is either solid, liquid or gas. It is called a measure that ascertains the amount of space that is available in a container that can be filled with the matter. In other words, the total amount of the matter that can be contained in the given object is called the capacity of the container.

You might have observed many times that when you fill air or fluid in any hollow object, it takes the shape of that particular container. Hence, the maximum amount of the matter that the container is capable of holding is known as its capacity. Capacity is measured in the metric units that are gallons, millilitres, litres, kilolitre, etc.

### Example of Volume and Capacity

Let us look at the examples of volume and capacity.

Consider for example that there is a tank that is filled with water. Hence, the volume refers to the space that is occupied by both the tank and the water, inside the tank, whereas, its capacity refers to the quantity of the water that is needed to fill the tank.

Consider the illustration given below as an example of volume and capacity.

1. What is the Measurement of the Volume and Capacity?

Volume is called as the amount of the total space that is taken up by an object, while capacity is known as the measure of an object’s ability to hold any given substance, such as the solid, the liquid or the gas. Volume is measured in the cubic units, whereas capacity is measured in almost all other units which include litres, pounds, gallons, etc. Volume is calculated when you multiply the length, the width and the height of an object, whereas the capacity’s measurement is more towards ml or cc.

2. What is the Primary Difference Between Volume and Capacity?

The points given below are the significant difference between volume and capacity:

1. The amount of the space, that a substance takes up, is referred to as volume. The maximum amount of the substance, that an object can contain, is referred to as its capacity.

2. The Volume of any given substance is known as the measure of the space that is covered by it. Whereas, on the other hand, the capacity of an object is nothing but the amount of the space, that is interior to the object that can be filled.

3. Volume is always measured in the cubic units like the cubic centimetre, or the cubic meter. Conversely, the capacity is measured in the metric units like pounds, millilitres, litres, gallons, etc.

4. When an object is in the solid form, it has only the volume, but if the object is hollow, it has both the volume and the capacity.