Capacity

Capacity is the measure of how much a container can hold. It is usually measured in units such as liters, milliliters, gallons, quarts, pints, and cups.

Units of Capacity

• Liters (L): The liter is the standard unit of capacity in the metric system.
• Milliliters (mL): The milliliter is a smaller unit of capacity in the metric system. 1 liter = 1000 milliliters.
• Gallons: The gallon is a unit of capacity in the imperial and US customary systems.
• Quarts: A quart is a unit of capacity in the US customary system. 1 gallon = 4 quarts.
• Pints: A pint is a unit of capacity in the US customary system. 1 quart = 2 pints.
• Cups: The cup is a smaller unit of capacity often used for measuring ingredients in cooking and baking. 1 quart = 4 cups.

Converting Between Units

To convert between units of capacity, you can use the following conversion factors:

• 1 liter = 1000 milliliters
• 1 gallon = 4 quarts
• 1 quart = 2 pints
• 1 quart = 4 cups

Examples

Example 1: Convert 3 liters to milliliters.

1. Use the conversion factor: 1 liter = 1000 milliliters.
2. 3 liters * 1000 milliliters/liter = 3000 milliliters.

Example 2: Convert 5 quarts to cups.

1. Use the conversion factors: 1 quart = 4 cups.
2. 5 quarts * 4 cups/quart = 20 cups.

Practice Problems

1. Convert 2.5 liters to milliliters. (Round to the nearest whole number)
2. Convert 3 gallons to quarts.
3. Convert 6 pints to cups.
4. If a container can hold 1500 milliliters of water, how many liters is that?