Final answer:
The student should use a ruler to measure the inside dimensions of the rectangular container and calculate the volume using the formula for volume of a rectangle. This method is appropriate for dry, pourable substances like flour and avoids impractical or inaccurate methods like displacement or mass-based estimations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best way to determine the volume of flour that a student can put in a rectangular container is to measure the length, width, and height of the container and then calculate the volume using the formula for the volume of a rectangle, which is length multiplied by width multiplied by height. This is the most direct measurement that applies to a dry, pourable substance like flour, where using a balance and estimating the volume based on mass or using water displacement methods would not be practical or accurate due to the nature of the substance.
To apply this method practically, a student would use a ruler to measure the inside dimensions of the rectangular container. For example, if the length is 10 centimeters, the width is 5 centimeters, and the height is 2 centimeters, the student would calculate the volume by multiplying these dimensions (10 cm × 5 cm × 2 cm), which would yield a total volume of 100 cubic centimeters (10 cm × 5 cm × 2 cm = 100 cm³). It's important to note that this method assumes that the container can be filled to the very top without any space left over.
To further investigate the concept, we can also consider other scenarios where different tools are more appropriate. For instance, when determining the volume of water in a glass, a graduated cylinder would be the ideal tool as it is designed for accurate measurements of liquids' volumes. Similarly, other shapes or conditions could require different measurement approaches, such as calculating the displacement volume in water for irregularly shaped objects that cannot be easily measured with a ruler.