Question

Choose one of the objects from Student Sheet 8.1b. Which method – water displacement or measurement and calculation – do you think most students used to determine its volume? Explain why you think students would choose that method over the other one.

Answer 1

Water displacement is usually the method most students use because if you do it correctly, it can be more accurate than measurement and calculation.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the object has an abnormal shape, you might be unable to measure its physical dimensions accurately. Instead, what you can do is measure the volume which is displaced when the object is immersed in a liquid or a gas. This is a very common method for measuring volume, and when done correctly, it is highly accurate.

For example, if you want to know the volume of a piece of ginger root, you can fill a beaker or a measuring cup with a known volume of water – let's say one cup. Next, add the ginger. Make sure that it is submerged underwater. Then, measure the new volume at the water line. The new volume will always be more than the starting volume. Subtract the starting volume (one cup) from this new volume, and you will have the volume of the ginger.