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Volume

The Volume Of Liquids And Gases



Measuring the volume of a liquid is relatively straight forward. Since liquids take the shape of the container in which they are placed, a liquid whose volume is to be found can simply be poured into a graduated container, that is, a container on which some scale has been etched. Graduated cylinders of various sizes, ranging from 10 ml to 1 l are commonly available in science laboratories for measuring the volumes of liquids. Other devices, such as pipettes and burettes, are available for measuring exact volumes, especially small volumes.



The volume of a liquid is only moderately affected by pressure, but it is often quite sensitive to changes in temperature. For this reason, volume measurements made at temperatures other than ambient temperature are generally so indicated when they are reported, as V = 35.89 ml (95°F; 35°C).

The volume of gases is very much influenced by temperature and pressure. Thus, any attempt to measure or report the volume of the gas must always include an indication of the pressure and temperature under which that volume was measured. Indeed, since gases expand to fill any container into which they are placed, the term volume has meaning for a gas only when temperature and pressure are indicated.

David E. Newton

KEY TERMS

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British (customary) system

—A collection of measuring units that has developed haphazardly over many centuries and is now used almost exclusively in the United States and for certain specialized types of measurements.

Displacement method

—A method for determining the volume of an irregularly shaped solid object by placing it in a measured amount of water or other liquid.

International (metric) system

—A system of measurement used by all scientists and in common practice by almost every nation of the world.

Unit volume

—The basic size of an object against which all other volumes are measured in a system.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Verbena Family (Verbenaceae) - Tropical Hardwoods In The Verbena Family to WelfarismVolume - Units Of Volume, The Volume Of Solids, The Volume Of Liquids And Gases