Hobbies And Interests
Dimensions
You can measure the dimensions of an object with a ruler and use these dimensions to calculate its volume. If the object is a cube, like a packing box, just cube its length. If it's a block with a rectangular shape like a piece of lumber, multiply its length by its width by its height. If the object is a sphere like a marble, cube its radius and multiply that by 4π/3.
Other Objects
If the object is a cylinder like a metal rod, square its radius and multiply this by π x the height of the cylinder. If the object is a cone like a pencil tip, square the diameter at its base, multiply by the height, then multiply by π/12. If the object is frustrum-shaped like a small wastebasket, the procedure is a little more complicated. First, square the diameter at its base and add this to the square of the diameter at its top. Next, add this result to (diameter at top)x(diameter at base). Take the result and multiply it by the height. Finally, multiply by π/12.
Liquids
Some objects may have such an irregular shape that you can't find a simple way to calculate their volume. If you have a jagged lump of metal, for example, you can approximate its volume as a sphere, but this is a very poor approximation. In these cases, you can find the volume by measuring the volume of liquid displaced -- using a liquid other than water.
Floatation
Objects sink when their density is greater than that of the fluid. Consequently, if your object floats in water, it will still sink if you can find a solvent that has a sufficiently low density. The density of hexane, for example, is only 65 percent of the density of water, so you can place your object in hexane to see whether it sinks there. Be careful when working with organic solvents like hexane, however; both hexane and many other organic solvents are highly flammable.