Editing Volume (section)

== Measurement ==
The oldest way to roughly measure a volume of an object is using the human body, such as using hand size and [[Pinch (action)|pinches]]. However, the human body's variations make it extremely unreliable. A better way to measure volume is to use roughly consistent and durable [[container]]s found in nature, such as [[gourd]]s, sheep or pig [[stomach]]s, and [[Urinary bladder|bladders]]. Later on, as [[metallurgy]] and [[glass production]] improved, small volumes nowadays are usually measured using standardized human-made containers.<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=393}} This method is common for measuring small volume of fluids or [[granular material]]s, by using a [[Multiple (mathematics)|multiple]] or fraction of the container. For granular materials, the container is shaken or leveled off to form a roughly flat surface. This method is not the most accurate way to measure volume but is often used to measure [[cooking ingredient]]s.<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=399}}

[[Air displacement pipette]] is used in [[biology]] and [[biochemistry]] to measure volume of fluids at the microscopic scale.<ref>{{cite web |title=Use of Micropipettes |url=http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/wadswogj/courses/bio211%20page/resources/micropipetting%20lab.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804033455/http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/wadswogj/courses/bio211%20page/resources/micropipetting%20lab.pdf |archive-date=4 August 2016 |accessdate=19 June 2016 |website=[[Buffalo State College]]}}</ref> Calibrated [[measuring cup]]s and [[Measuring spoon|spoons]] are adequate for cooking and daily life applications, however, they are not precise enough for [[laboratory|laboratories]]. There, volume of liquids is measured using [[graduated cylinder]]s, [[pipette]]s and [[volumetric flask]]s. The largest of such calibrated containers are petroleum [[storage tank]]s, some can hold up to {{Cvt|1000000|oilbbl|L|lk=in|abbr=off}} of fluids.<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=399}} Even at this scale, by knowing petroleum's density and temperature, very precise volume measurement in these tanks can still be made.<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=403}}

For even larger volumes such as in a [[reservoir]], the container's volume is modeled by shapes and calculated using mathematics.<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=403}}

=== Units ===
{{main|Unit of volume|Orders of magnitude (volume)}}
[[File:Visualisation litre gram.svg|thumb|Some SI units of volume to scale and approximate corresponding mass of water]]

To ease calculations, a unit of volume is equal to the volume occupied by a [[unit cube]] (with a side length of one). Because the volume occupies three dimensions, if the [[metre]] (m) is chosen as a unit of length, the corresponding unit of volume is the [[cubic metre]] (m<sup>3</sup>). The cubic metre is also a [[SI derived unit]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=February 25, 2022 |title=Area and Volume |url=https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/area-and-volume |journal=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |access-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807105300/https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/area-and-volume |url-status=live }}</ref> Therefore, volume has a [[Dimensional analysis|unit dimension]] of L<sup>3</sup>.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lemons |first=Don S. |title=A Student's Guide to Dimensional Analysis |date=16 March 2017 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-107-16115-3 |location=New York |page=38 |oclc=959922612}}</ref>

The metric units of volume uses [[metric prefix]]es, strictly in [[Power of 10|powers of ten]]. When applying prefixes to units of volume, which are expressed in units of length cubed, the cube operators are applied to the unit of length including the prefix. An example of converting cubic centimetre to cubic metre is: 2.3&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup> = 2.3 (cm)<sup>3</sup> = 2.3 (0.01 m)<sup>3</sup> = 0.0000023 m<sup>3</sup> (five zeros).<ref name="IBWM-2019">{{SIbrochure9th}}</ref>{{Rp|page=143}}

Commonly used prefixes for cubed length units are the cubic millimetre (mm<sup>3</sup>), cubic centimetre (cm<sup>3</sup>), cubic decimetre (dm<sup>3</sup>), cubic metre (m<sup>3</sup>) and the cubic kilometre (km<sup>3</sup>). The conversion between the prefix units are as follows: 1000&nbsp;mm<sup>3</sup> = 1&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup>, 1000&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup> = 1&nbsp;dm<sup>3</sup>, and 1000&nbsp;dm<sup>3</sup> = 1&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>.<ref name="NIST-2022" /> The [[metric system]] also includes the [[litre]] (L) as a unit of volume, where 1 L = 1&nbsp;dm<sup>3</sup> = 1000&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup> = 0.001&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>.<ref name="IBWM-2019" />{{Rp|page=145}} For the litre unit, the commonly used prefixes are the millilitre (mL), centilitre (cL), and the litre (L), with 1000&nbsp;mL = 1&nbsp;L, 10&nbsp;mL = 1&nbsp;cL, 10&nbsp;cL = 1&nbsp;dL, and 10&nbsp;dL = 1&nbsp;L.<ref name="NIST-2022" />

Various other [[Imperial units|imperial]] or [[United States customary units|U.S. customary]] units of volume are also in use, including:<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=|pages=396–398}}
* [[cubic inch]], [[cubic foot]], [[cubic yard]], [[acre-foot]], [[cubic mile]];
* [[minim (unit)|minim]], [[Dram (unit)|drachm]], [[fluid ounce]], [[pint]];
* [[teaspoon]], [[tablespoon]];
* [[gill (volume)|gill]], [[quart]], [[gallon]], [[barrel (unit)|barrel]];
* [[cord (unit)|cord]], [[peck]], [[bushel]], [[hogshead]].

=== Capacity and volume ===
Capacity is the maximum amount of material that a container can hold, measured in volume or [[weight]]. However, the contained volume does not need to fill towards the container's capacity, or vice versa. Containers can only hold a specific amount of physical volume, not weight (excluding practical concerns). For example, a {{Cvt|50000|oilbbl|L}} tank that can just hold {{Cvt|7200|MT|lb}} of [[fuel oil]] will not be able to contain the same {{Cvt|7200|MT|lb}} of [[naphtha]], due to naphtha's lower density and thus larger volume.<ref name="Treese-2018" />{{Rp|page=|pages=390–391}}