Level 1 · Ages 6–8
Read it again any time, including while you work through the exercises.
Pour water into a glass, then into a bottle, then into a bucket. Each container can hold a different amount of liquid: that is its capacity. The bucket holds more than the bottle, which holds more than the glass.
To measure capacity, the main unit is the litre (L). A large water bottle holds 1 L or 1.5 L. A bathtub holds about 150 L, and a bucket about 10 L.
For small amounts, the litre is too big. So we cut it into smaller units: the decilitre (dL), the centilitre (cL) and the millilitre (mL). Remember these three links: 1 L = 10 dL, 1 L = 100 cL and 1 L = 1000 mL.
You meet these units every day: a soda can says 33 cL, a glass holds about 20 cL, and a teaspoon about 5 mL. Look at the labels around you, they are full of capacities to decode!
How many 25 cL glasses do you need to fill a 1 L bottle?
1 L = 100 cL
I turn the litre into centilitres to compare with the glasses.
25 + 25 + 25 + 25 = 100
I count how many times 25 cL fits into 100 cL: exactly 4 times.
Result: You need 4 glasses of 25 cL to fill the 1 L bottle.