8

Area, volume
and capacity

How much would it cost to

carpet the lounge room if
you chose a carpet that cost
$28 per metre fully laid?
You need to calculate the floor
area of the lounge room.
In this chapter, you will learn
how to calculate the area of
rectangles and triangles as
well as other measurements
such as volume and capacity.
4.8 m

1.6 m

0.7 m

3m

1100 Spa
mm
2.5 m

4m

2.6 m

Kitchen/Dining

WC

1100
Bathroommm

Bed 3

3m

0.8 m

6m

Bed 2

3m

Bed 1

4m

Lounge

6m

2m

4m

280

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

Area
The area of a shape is the amount of flat surface enclosed by the shape. The area of a
floor shows us how much carpet or how many tiles to buy to cover the floor.

The perimeter of a sheet of paper is the distance around its edges. The area is the
amount of space it covers. Similarly, the frame of a window goes around its perimeter,
while the glass represents the area. The grass in the middle of a sports oval covers the
area of the field.

Metric units of area

Commonly used metric units (for measuring areas) with their abbreviations and some
examples are shown below:
1. Square kilometre (km2)

The area of a country or a large city is given in square kilometres.

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

281

2. Hectare (ha)

The area of a farm or a city block is measured in hectares.

3. Square metre (m2)

Square metres are used to measure the area of a classroom floor, blackboard or window.

4. Square centimetre (cm2)

5. Square millimetre (mm2)

Small areas, such as the area of a sheet of

A4 paper or magazine cover, are measured
in square centimetres.

Very small areas, such as the area of a button or a

postage stamp, are measured in square
millimetres.

282

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

For some shapes it is possible to measure the area easily because we

can imagine it to be made up of a number of squares. A square with a side
measure of 1 cm has an area of 1 square centimetre (1 cm2).

1 cm2

WORKED Example 1
The figures below are drawn on centimetre grid paper. Find the area of each one.
a
b

THINK

WRITE

a Count the squares. Remember to include the correct

unit (cm2) in the answer.

a 8 cm2

b Some of the squares are cut in half by the diagonal

line. It takes two of these to make up one square
centimetre. Count the squares.

b 8 cm2

If a square is not completely enclosed by the shape, use the following rule to obtain an
estimate of the area. If more than half the square is covered, count it. If less than half of
the square is covered, dont count it. Tick the squares as each one is counted.

WORKED Example 2
Estimate the shaded area in the diagram at right.
THINK

WRITE

Tick the squares that are more than half covered

and count them.

State the answer.

6 cm2

remember
remember
1. Area may be found by counting the number of squares needed to cover a
surface.
2. A square with a side measure of 1 cm has an area of 1 square centimetre
(1 cm2).

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

8A

283

Area

1 Which unit would be most suitable to measure the following areas? Choose from mm2,
cm2, m2, ha or km2.
a A computer screen
b A sheet of A3 paper
c Sydney Cricket Ground
d A shirt button
e The Melbourne metropolitan area
f A compact disc
g A house block
h A room
i Alaska
j A basketball court
k A dairy farm
l The area inside the letter D
WORKED

Example

1a

2 The figures below are drawn on centimetre grid paper. Find the area of each one.
a

3 Find the area of the figures below, which are drawn on centimetre grid paper.
a
b
c
1b

WORKED

Example

284

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

4 Estimate the shaded area of each of the following figures.

a
b
2

WORKED

Example

QUEST

GE

EN

MAT H

5 Find the perimeter of each of the figures in question 2.

CH

AL

You will need 12 matches (or you can draw 12 lines on paper) for the
following activity. Draw diagrams to show your results.
1 Use the 12 matches to form a large square containing 4 small squares (a
total of 5 squares). Use this arrangement for the folowing questions.
2 Show how you can remove 4 matches to leave exactly 2 squares.
3 Show how you can remove 4 matches to leave exactly 1 square.
4 Show how you can remove 2 matches to leave exactly 2 squares.
5 Show how you can move 3 matches to new positions so that there are
exactly 3 squares.

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

285

Investigating the area of a rectangle

Draw four different rectangles on a sheet of graph paper or centimetre grid paper.
Make the length and width of each rectangle a whole number of centimetres.
Calculate the area of each rectangle by counting the squares. Copy and complete
the table below.
Rectangle

Length (cm)

Width (cm)

Area (cm2)

1
2
3
4
Look at the relationship between length, width and area. Write a sentence
describing how to find the area of a rectangle using its length and width.

Finding the area of a rectangle

Using the pronumerals A for area, l for length and w for width, the simple rule you discovered in the previous investigation can be written as the formula below.
A = l w or A = lw

WORKED Example 3
Find the area of the following shapes.
a
b
4 cm
3 cm

1 cm

4 cm
2 cm
4 cm

THINK

WRITE

a A = lw

1
2
3

Write the formula for the area of a

rectangle.
Substitute the value 4 for l and 3 for
w.
Calculate the result. Remember to
answer in the correct units (cm2).

A=43
= 12 cm2
Continued over page

286

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

THINK

WRITE

Divide the shape into two rectangles.

1 cm
2

2 cm

4 cm
1

2 cm

4 cm
2

Calculate the area of each rectangle

separately by substituting the correct
values of l and w into the formula
A = lw.

Add the two areas.

Area of rectangle 1 = l w
=42
= 8 cm2
Area of rectangle 2 = l w
=21
= 2 cm2
Area of shape = area of rectangle 1 + area of
rectangle 2
= 8 cm2 + 2 cm2
= 10 cm2

remember
remember

The area of a rectangle is found by using the formula A = lw,

where A is the area of the rectangle, l is its length and w is
its width.

8B

l
w

Finding the area of a

rectangle

1 Four rectangles are drawn on centimetre grids.

i State the length and width of each rectangle.
ii Use your answers to part i to calculate the area of each rectangle.
iii Count the number of 1 cm2 squares to find the area of each rectangle.
iv Compare your answers to parts ii and iii.
a
b

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

WORKED

Example

3a

287

2 Find the area of the following rectangles. (Hint: Use the formula A = lw.)
a
b
4 cm
5 cm
Area of a
rectangle

1 cm
3 cm

3m

Area of a
rectangle

7 km
2 km

5m
Area of a
rectangle

6 cm

2m

4 cm

5m

30 mm

1m

6m

20 mm

20 m

42 mm
7 mm

8m

4 km

76 km

38 km

4 km

WORKED

Example

3b

3 Find the area of the following shapes. (Hint: Divide the shapes into rectangles and
squares before using the formula A = lw. Subtract the area of any sections cut out of
the main shape.)
a
b
4 cm
12 m
2m
8m
4 cm

8m
2 cm
6 cm

288

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

21 mm

4m
2m

8m
4m
15 mm
9 mm
6 mm

10 mm
10 mm
10 mm

6 cm
6 cm

10 mm

12 cm
6 cm

10 mm

3 cm
9 cm

12 m

5 cm
2 cm

4m
5 cm

1 cm

6m

2m

2 cm

2m
6m

3 cm

9 mm

28 mm

3 mm
3 mm

12 mm

7 mm

21 mm
7 mm

3 mm

35 mm

15 mm

10 m

25 m
5m 5m
5m

6m
2m

6m
5m

8.1

5m

4 How many square metres of carpet are needed to carpet a rectangular room of length
5 m and width 3.5 m?
5 Find the area of material (cm2) needed to make a rectangular table napkin 32 cm long
and 25 cm wide.
6 Find the area of material needed to make a rectangular rug which is 4.2 m long and
230 cm wide. (Give your answer in square metres.)
(Hint: Convert the width measurement into metres first.)

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

289

7 Toby is tiling his bathroom with ceramic tiles that cost $35.20 per box.
a How many square metres of tiles will he need, if the rectangular
room has a width of 2.5 m and a length of 3 m?
b How many boxes of tiles should he order if each box
contains enough tiles to cover 0.5 m2?
c What will be the cost of the tiles?
8 Jane is a landscape gardener who is laying a new lawn.
The rectangular lawn is 13 m long and 8 m wide. How many
square metres of turf should Jane order? What is the total cost
of the turf if it costs $12.50 per square metre?
9 Members of the Lee family want to pave the area
around their new swimming pool. The pool is set
into the corner of the yard as shown at right. Find the
area of paving (in square metres) required to cover
the yard around the pool (shaded in the diagram).

14 m
Pool 4.5 m

6m

2m

10 Alana, who works for Fast Glass Replacements, has been asked for a quote to replace
three windows. Each window is 1.8 m long and 0.8 m wide. What price should Alana
quote if the glass costs $27 per square metre? (Include a delivery cost of $25 in the quote.)
36 km

11 Find the total area of the cattle station shown

at right, which has 3 large paddocks. (Give your
answer in square kilometres.)

48 km

24 km

34 km
120 km

12 Rectangular laminate sheets are 1.8 m long and 0.9 m wide. How many sheets would
be needed to cover 4.8 m2 of bench space in a kitchen, if none is wasted?
13 Calculate the total floor area of a concrete slab
for a house as shown at right.

8m

9m

7m

14 In order to construct an advertising sign, the

letters below are cut from plastic sheets. Find
the total area of plastic required to make all
3 letters.
4m

2m

4m

1m
2m
2m

17 m

1m

2m
2m
2m

4m

12 cm

15 How many square centimetres of cardboard are needed to

make the cube with an edge length of 12 cm shown at right?

290

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

Converting units of area

The main units of area are related as follows:
1 km2 = 1 000 000 m2

1 m2 = 10 000 cm2

1 cm2 = 100 mm2.

The chart below makes converting units simpler.

1 000 000
km2

10 000

100

m2
1 000 000

cm2
10 000

mm2
100

The conversion factors for the units of area are related to those for length in the
following way.
To convert cm to mm:
To convert cm2 to mm2:
To convert m to cm:
To convert m2 to cm2:
To convert km to m:
To convert km2 to m2:

multiply by 10.
multiply by 102 or 100 (10 10).
multiply by 100.
multiply by 1002 or 10 000 (100 100).
multiply by 1000
multiply by 10002 or 1 000 000 (1000 1000)

That is, to obtain the conversion factors for area, the conversion factors for length are
multiplied by themselves or squared.
To convert to smaller units, multiply by the conversion factor.
To convert to larger units, divide by the conversion factor.

Hectares
The area represented by the diagram at right is equal to 1 hectare
(1 ha). This unit of area is often used in real estate to measure the
area of land, particularly for large properties.
Can you explain why 1 ha = 10 000 m2?

100 m
100 m

WORKED Example 4
Complete the following metric conversions.
a 75 m2 =
cm2 b 340 mm2 =

cm2 c 34 000 m2 =

THINK

WRITE

Look at the metric conversion chart. To

convert square metres to square
centimetres, multiply by 10 000.
Multiply by 10 000 by moving the decimal
point four places to the right. Since 75 is a
whole number, we do this by adding 4
zeros to the end of the number.

75 m2 = 75 10 000 cm2
= 750 000 cm2

ha

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

THINK

WRITE

1
2

Look at the metric conversion chart. To

convert square millimetres to square
centimetres, divide by 100.
Divide by 100 by moving the decimal
point two places to the left. Since 340 is a
whole number, start from the end.
Recall that 1 ha = 10 000 m2.
To convert square metres to hectares, divide
by 10 000. To do this, move the decimal
point four places to the left. Since 34 000
is a whole number, start from the end.

291

340 mm2 = 340 100 cm2

= 3.4 cm2
c

34 000 m2 = 34 000 10 000 ha

= 3.4 ha

remember
remember
1. When converting units of area:
use a conversion chart or remember the conversion factors.
1 000 000
km2

10 000
m2

1 000 000

100
cm2

10 000

mm2
100

2. To convert to smaller units, multiply by the conversion factor.

3. To convert to larger units, divide by the conversion factor.

8C
WORKED

Example

4a, b

Converting units of area

8.2

1 Complete the following metric conversions.

cm2
b
a 3 m2 =
2
c 56 m =
cm2
d
e 4 km2 =
m2
f
2
2
g 9.2 km =
m
h
i 45 m2 =
cm2
j
k 6.6 cm2 =
mm2
l
m 4.6 km2 =
m2
n

3.5 cm2 =
2.85 cm2 =
8.5 km2 =
12.34 m2 =
0.53 km2 =
2.4 cm2 =
37.2 km2 =

mm2
mm2
m2
cm2
m2
mm2
m2

2 Copy and complete the following.

m2
a 23 000 cm2 =
2
c 2540 cm =
mm2
2
e 74 000 000 m =
km2
2
g 560 000 000 m =
km2
2
2
i 56.3 m =
cm
k 43 cm2 =
mm2
m 4500 cm2 =
m2

235 mm2 =
650 mm2 =
0.089 km2 =
1200 mm2 =
542 000 cm2 =
11.67 m2 =
0.2 km2 =

cm2
cm2
m2
cm2
m2
2
cm
m2

b
d
f
h
j
l
n

Converting
units of
area

Area units
converter

Area units
converter
(DIY)

MQ 7 Ch 08 Page 292 Wednesday, May 9, 2001 1:34 PM

292
WORKED

Example

4c

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

3 Copy and complete the following conversions.

a 53 000 m2 =
ha
b
m2
c 1 000 000 cm2 =
d
e 35 000 000 m2 =
km2
f
2
g 3 000 000 m =
km2
h
i 100 000 m2 =
km2
j
k 56 ha =
m2
l
m 8500 m2 =
ha
n

786 m2 =
10 646 m2 =
0.0006 km2 =
98 563 m2 =
778 000 m2 =
1.48 ha =
0.074 km2 =

ha
ha
m2
ha
km2
m2
m2

4 multiple choice
An area of 23 000 000 m2 is equal to:
A 23 km2
B 2.3 km2
C 23 ha

D 230 ha

E 23 000 ha

D 3400 cm2

E 34 000 cm2

5 multiple choice
An area of 0.034 m2 is equal to:
A 3.4 cm2
B 34 cm2
C 340 cm2

800 m

6 A plan of Serendipity stud farm is shown on the right.

Find the area of the farm in hectares (ha).
7 Arrange the following in order from smallest to largest.
a 12 500 m2, 1.3 ha, 0.3 km2
b 0.2 ha, 250 000 m2, 1 km2
c 200 000 cm2, 2 m2, 0.2 m2
d 0.002 m2, 500 mm2, 100 cm2

150 m

1200 m

1100 m

8 Add the following areas, giving your answer in either unit.

a 240 mm2 and 3 cm2
b 4 m2 and 63 000 cm2
2
2
c 7.26 cm and 1480 mm
d 22 000 m2 and 34 ha
2
2
e 0.2 km and 40 000 m
f 7360 mm2 and 6 cm2
2
2
g 0.003 km and 5400 m
h 2 million square metres and 4.6 km2
2
2
i 452 cm and 7500 mm
j 7.2 ha and 780 000 m2
9 One of the largest open-air
shopping centres is the Ala
Moana centre in Honolulu,
Hawaii, USA with more than
200 shops covering an area of
20 hectares. How many
square metres is this?
10 The Taupo volcanic eruption,
in New Zealand nearly 2000
years ago, is estimated to
have flattened an area of
16 000 km2.
a How many square metres
is this?
b How many hectares is
this?

293

QUEST

GE

EN

MAT H

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

CH

AL

1 A floor tiler charged $640.00 to tile a rectangular room. Her next job is
to tile the floor of a rectangular room twice as long and twice as wide.
How much should she charge for the larger room? (The answer is not
$1280.00.)
2 A rectangle has an area of 36 cm2 and a perimeter of 26 cm. Each side
of the rectangle is a whole number of centimetres. What is the length
and width of this rectangle?
3 What is the perimeter of a square that has the same area as a rectangle
with length 18 mm and width 8 mm?
4 In a quiz, you start with 100 points. Ten points are added for each correct answer and four points are subtracted for each incorrect answer. If
you answer 40 questions, what is the least number of questions you
must answer correctly to have a score over 300?

What area does your hand cover?

You will need a sheet of graph paper.
1. Trace an outline of your hand
on the graph paper.

2. Look at the larger squares on the graph paper; that is, the squares made by
the darker coloured lines. What is the area of one of these squares?
3. Estimate the number of larger squares inside the outline of your hand.
4. Using your estimate from part 3, calculate the area covered by your hand.
5. Now look at the smaller squares on the graph paper; that is, the squares made
by the fainter or lighter coloured lines. What is the area of one of these
squares?
6. Estimate the number of smaller squares inside the outline of your hand.
7. Using your estimate from part 6, calculate the area covered by your hand.
8. Compare the two area values you obtained by converting both to the same
unit. What is the difference between the two values?
9. Which value do you think is more accurate? Explain why in a sentence.
10. Compare your results with another class member. Is the difference between
your two area values smaller or larger than his or her values?

294

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

1
1 Select the unit (mm2, cm2, m2, ha or km2) which would be the most appropriate to
measure the area of a chessboard.
2 Select the most appropriate unit to measure the area of a netball court.
3 Find the area of the shape shown which is drawn on
centimetre grid paper.
4 Find the perimeter of the shape shown in question 3.

5 Estimate the area covered by the

paint blob if it is on centimetre
grid paper.

6 Estimate the area of water on a road

if a metre grid is shown over it.

7 Find the area of the following

rectangle.

8 Find the area of the following shape.

88 m

42 km
27 m
38 m
116 m
58 km

9 Convert 13 000 mm2 to cm2.

10 Convert 4.2 km2 to m2.

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

295

Finding the area of a triangle

The rule for finding the area of a rectangle (A = lw) can be adapted in the following
way to find the area of a triangle.

WORKED Example 5
Find the area of the following shapes.
a
b
6 cm

7 cm

4 cm
12 cm
8 cm

THINK

WRITE

Draw an imaginary rectangle that

contains the triangle. The rectangle
should have the same base length
and height as the triangle. Notice
that the triangle forms half of the
rectangle.
Use the formula A = lw to find the
area of this rectangle.

6 cm

8 cm

A = lw
= 8 cm 6 cm
= 48 cm2
Area of triangle =

Halve the area of the rectangle to get

the area of the triangle.

Area of triangle =

1
--2
1
--2

of area of rectangle
48

= 24 cm2
b

Divide the shape into a rectangle and

a triangle. Draw an imaginary
rectangle that contains the triangle.

7 cm
4 cm
12 cm
5 cm

Use the formula A = lw to find the

area of the rectangle.
Find the area of the imaginary
rectangle and halve it to get the area
of the triangle.

A = lw
= 7 cm 4 cm
= 28 cm2
Area of rectangle = l w
= 4 cm 5 cm
= 20 cm2
Area of triangle =

Add the two areas to get the total

area.

1
--2

20

= 10 cm2
Total area = 28 cm2 + 10 cm2
= 38 cm2

296

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

remember
remember
The area of a triangle is equal to half that of a rectangle with the same base and
height.

8D
WORKED

Example

Area of a
triangle

5a

Finding the area of a triangle

1 Find the area of the following triangles.

a

3 cm
2 cm

9 cm

4 cm
Area of a
triangle

9 cm

2 cm

2 cm

5 cm

8 cm

1m
2m

20 cm

35 cm

4 cm
21 cm

5m

12 cm

11 cm

4.5 cm
3 cm

15 cm

8m

10 cm

18 m

6m
9m
19 cm

30 m

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

WORKED

Example

5b

2 Find the area of the following shapes.

a

1m
2m

12 cm
4m

6 cm
9 cm

4m
4m

16 cm

12 cm

16 m

8 cm

4 cm

10 mm
10 mm

3 cm
20 mm
2 cm

3 cm

4 cm

2 cm
5 cm

8 cm

2 cm

4 cm
8 cm

28 cm
14 cm

14 cm

1.5 m

6m

28 cm
3m

3 The sail, whose measurements are shown below, has been

constructed for the sailing vessel Nautilus.
a Find the area of cloth required to construct the sail.
b What is the cost of the sail if the cloth costs
$12.00 per square metre?

7.5 m

6.3 m

297

298

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

4 Find the total wing area of

the delta winged jet aircraft
shown below.

5 Find the area of carpet needed for the

room below.

7m

6.0 m

4.5 m

18 m

3.0 m
7m

4.5 m

6 The triangle shown on the right can be used to make

an estimate of the area of the state of Victoria.
a Find the area of the triangle shown.
b Compare your estimate with the correct value
from your atlas.

500 km

850 km

7 Find the area of the garage

wall shown below.

8 Determine the area of bricks needed to

cover the courtyard shown below.
8m

1.0 m
2.4 m

5m
4.5 m

1.2 m
1.2 m

9 A sheet of A4 paper is approximately 30 cm long and 21 cm wide. Find the area of

the triangle formed by cutting an A4 sheet in half diagonally.

me
E ti

GAM

10 Find the area of the entrance foyer shown on the right.

Area,
volume and
capacity 01

8.1

2m
3m
3.5 m

6m

299

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

Have your
Hav
your ey
eyes ev
ever been
the area
checked?
check
ed? of eachCalculate
figure below to discover
the puzzle answer code.

28 cm2
14 m2

63 m2

36 m2

60 m2

24 cm2

6 m2

2 cm

3 cm

49 m2
40 cm2
39 m2

54 m2

36 cm2
28 m2

18 cm2

7 cm

15 cm2

9 cm

7m

7m

9m

4m

9 cm

13 m

6 cm

B
8 cm

6 cm

5 cm

3m

9m
7m

12 m

14 cm

6m

12 m

8m

10 cm

4 cm
2m

4m

12 m

8 m2

10 m

8 cm

12 cm

22 cm2

32 cm2

12 cm2

8 cm

6m

8 cm

70 cm2

9 cm

2m

45 cm2 48 cm2

18 m2

4 cm

3m

12 m2

10 cm

5 cm

3m
7m

11 cm
2m

4 cm

Y
4 cm

300

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

Volume
The volume of a three-dimensional object is the amount of space it occupies. To find
the volume of a solid shape we must compare it with a standard volume unit. The commonly used units of volume are shown below.
1. Cubic centimetre (cm3)
A cubic centimetre is the space occupied by a cube with sides of 1 cm.
A sugar cube has a volume of
The volume of a matchbox is
about 1 cm3.
about 30 cm3.

2. Cubic metre (m3)

A cubic metre is the space occupied by
a cube with sides of 1 m.
A bathtub can hold about 1--2- m3 of water.

WORKED Example 6
How many cubic centimetres are in each solid shape? (Each small cube represents 1 cm3.)
a
b

THINK

WRITE

a Volume = 10 cm3 3

Count the cubes.

There are 10 cubes in each layer.
There are three layers altogether.
Give the answer in cubic centimetres.

= 30 cm3

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

301

THINK

WRITE

b Volume = 12 cm3 + 6 cm3 + 3 cm3

Count the cubes.

There are 12 cubes in the first layer.
There are 6 cubes in the second layer.
There are 3 cubes in the third layer.
Give the answer in cubic centimetres.

= 21 cm3

remember
remember
1. The volume of a three-dimensional object is the amount of space it occupies.
2. Cubic centimetres and cubic metres are units that are commonly used to
measure volume.

8E

Volume

1 How many cubic centimetres are in each solid shape? (Each small cube represents
1 cm3.)
6a
a
b
c

WORKED

Example

302

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

2 multiple choice
The volume of the prism, shown at right, is:
B 12 cm3
C 1 cm3
A 4 cm3
3
3
D 8 cm
E 6 cm

3 Find the volume of the following solids. (Each small cube represents 1 cm3.)
a
b
c
6b

WORKED

Example

4 multiple choice
The volume of the prism, on the right, is:
A 20 cm3
B 16 cm3
C 3 cm3
3
3
D 22 cm
E 18 cm

303

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

Volume of a rectangular prism

The solid shapes in question 1 of exercise 8E are all rectangular prisms.
A prism is a solid with identical opposite ends joined by straight sides.
1. Complete the table by looking carefully at each of the solids in exercise 8E,
question 1.

Shape

Number of cubes in one

layer

Number of
layers

Volume
(cm3)

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
2. Describe how the number of cubes in one layer can be found even when some
are hidden from view.
3. Explain the relationship between the first two columns of the table and the third
column.

Finding the volume of a rectangular

prism
The dimensions of a rectangular prism are its length (l), width (w) and height (H). The
number of cubes in one layer of a rectangular prism is also equal to the area of the base
of the prism. The number of layers is the height of the prism. The rule for finding the
volume (V) of a rectangular prism can be found as shown below:
Volume of a rectangular prism = Area of base height
=AH
= lwH
We write the formula without showing the multiplication
signs as shown below.
V = lwH

or

V = AH

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Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

WORKED Example 7

Use the formula V = lwH to calculate the volume of the

following rectangular prism.

2 cm
7 cm

4 cm

THINK
1
2

WRITE

Write down the formula.

Identify the length (l = 7 cm), width
(w = 4 cm), and height (H = 2 cm) of
the prism and substitute the values into
the formula.
Calculate the result. Remember to write
the answer using the correct units
(cm3).

V = lwH
= 7 cm 4 cm 2 cm

= 56 cm3

remember
remember

Volume (V) of a rectangular prism: V = lwH

or
V = AH
where l is the length, w is the width, H is the height and A is the area of the base
of the prism.

8F
WORKED

Example

1 Use the formula V = lwH to calculate the volume of the following rectangular prisms.
a

Volume of a
rectangular
prism

4m

2 cm

2 cm
Volume of a
rectangular
prism

Finding the volume of a

rectangular prism

1m
3m

3 cm

24 cm

9 cm
9 cm
3 cm

16 cm

16 cm

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

305

1 cm

4 cm

4m

1 cm
6m

8m

15 cm

3 cm
7.5 cm
4.5 cm

3 cm

6 cm

2 Find the volume of

the shoe box shown
at right. (Give your
answer in cubic
centimetres, cm3.)

34 cm
19 cm

15 cm

65 cm

175 cm

3 The inside dimensions of the Workinghorse frost-free

refrigerator are shown on the left. Find the volume
available for food storage inside the refrigerator.

42 cm

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Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

4 The lunch box at right is

a rectangular prism.
a Find the volume of the lunch box
in cubic centimetres.
b Change each measurement to
millimetres and hence find the
volume of the lunch box in
cubic millimetres.

9 cm

5 Find the volume of concrete (in cubic metres) which

would be needed to make the base for a garage (at right)
that is 6.5 m long and 3 m wide. The concrete base is
0.25 m in depth.

20 cm

15 cm

0.25 m
3m

6.5 m

6 a Find the volume of the matchbox shown at right

1.5 cm
(in cubic centimetres).
b Change each measurement to millimetres and
5.5 cm
3.5 cm
hence find the volume of the matchbox in cubic
millimetres.
2 mm
c Matches are rectangular prisms of length 44 mm,
width 2 mm and height 2 mm. Find the volume of a match
44 mm
(in cubic millimetres). (Ignore the red substance on the end of
each match.)
d If each box contains 50 matches, how much space is left in a full box?
7 How many cubic metres of water would be needed to fill a diving pool which has a
length of 16 m, a width of 12 m and a depth of 4 m?
8 Heather wishes to cover a rectangular lawn with topsoil to a depth of 0.1 m. If the
lawn is 24 m long and 17 m wide, what volume of soil (in cubic metres) should she
order?
9 The fruitcake shown at right is to
be divided equally among 100
people at a wedding reception.
What volume of cake (in cubic
centimetres) will each guest
receive?

8.2

10 Find the volume of clay in a

house brick which has a length
of 23 cm, a width of 11 cm and
a height of 9 cm.

25 cm

12 cm
25 cm
40 cm

40 cm
12 cm

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

307

2
1 Find the area of the shape at right.
2 Calculate the area of the following shape.
76 km

15 m

48 m

44 km

3 Construct a rectangle with an area of 30 cm2.

4 Construct another rectangle that looks different from the one in question 3, but still
has an area of 30 cm2.
5 Which rectangle (from questions 3 and 4) has the larger perimeter?
6 Find the area of the shape at right.
7 Convert the area found in question 6
to square centimetres.

12 m
8m
12 m

16 m

8 Find the volume of the following prism by counting

the cubes which are 1 mm3 each.

9 Find the volume of the rectangular prism at right

by using the formula V = l w H. (Give your
answer in cm3.)
10 A new basketball stadium has just been built.
It is 43 m wide, 125 m long and 12 m high.
Find the volume of the new basketball stadium.

2 cm
42 mm
14 mm

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Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

Finding the volume of other types of

prisms
The rule: Volume = Area of base height which we used
to find the volume of rectangular prisms, can be applied
to any prism. In the diagram below, the base of the prism
has an area of 5 cm2. The height of the prism is 3 cm.
Notice that by counting cubes, the volume of the prism is
15 cm3.

WORKED Example 8
Find the volume of the prism shown at right if each cube
has a volume of 1 cm3.
THINK
1
2

3
4

WRITE

Write down the formula for the volume

of a prism.
The area of the base (A) is the same as
the area of the top layer which is 6 cm2.
The height is 2 cm.
Substitute the values of A and H into
the formula V = AH.
Calculate the answer and give the units
in cubic centimetres.

V = AH
A = 6 cm2, H = 2 cm
V = 6 cm2 2 cm
= 12 cm3

The formula V = AH works even if the prism has a base shape that is not a rectangle or
square. In fact, it works whatever the shape of each end is, as long as the object is a prism.

WORKED Example 9

1 cm

Use the information given in the diagram shown on the

right to calculate the volume of the prism.

2 cm

2 cm
3 cm
3 cm

THINK
1
2

Write down the formula for the volume

of a prism.
The area of the base (A) can be found
by adding the areas of the 2 rectangles
on the top surface. The height is 3 cm.

WRITE
V = AH
Area of large rectangle = lw
= 3 cm 2 cm
= 6 cm2

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

THINK

3
4

309

WRITE

Substitute the values of A and H into

the formula V = AH.
Calculate the answer and give the units
in cubic centimetres.

Area of small rectangle = lw

= 2 cm 1 cm
= 2 cm2
Total area of base = 6 cm2 + 2 cm2
= 8 cm2
2
So A = 8 cm and H = 3 cm.
V = 8 cm2 3 cm
= 24 cm3

remember
remember

Volume of a prism (V) = Area of base (A) height (H), or V = AH.

8G

Finding the volume of other

types of prisms

1 Find the volume of each prism shown below by copying and completing the following
table. (Each cube has a volume of 1 cm3.)
8
a
b

WORKED

Example

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Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

Prism

Area of base

Height

a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j

2 multiple choice
The volume of the prism shown at right (assuming
each cube has a volume of 1 cm3) is:
A 10 cm3
B 20 cm3
C 30 cm3
3
3
D 40 cm
E 80 cm

Volume (cm3)

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

311

3 multiple choice
The volume of the prism shown at right is:
A 16 cm3
B 48 cm3
C 32 cm3
3
3
D 40 cm
E 160 cm
Each cube has a volume of 1 cm3.

4 Calculate the volume of the following prisms.

a
b
9

WORKED

Example

5 cm

6 cm

10 cm
4 cm
5 cm

2 cm

6 cm
2 cm

1 cm

1 cm

2 cm

1 cm

2.5 cm

3 cm
3 cm

3 cm
6 cm

3 cm

2 cm

2.5 cm

7 cm
5 cm

2.5 cm
1m
1m
2m

1m

f
1m
1 cm
8 cm

3m
2m
4m

1 cm
8 cm

3m

3 cm

h
27 cm2

4 cm

60 mm2
12 mm

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Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

5 A swimming pool is a rectangular shape and has a width exactly half its length. What
volume of water would be needed to fill it if the swimming pool is 50 metres long and
has a constant depth of 2 metres?

GAM

me
E ti

Area,
volume and
capacity 02

6 The photograph at right shows a round of cheese that

has a base of area 320 cm2 when whole. If the
height of the cheese is 6 cm, find the following:
a the volume of the whole cheese round
b the number of equal segments that could be
obtained if the round is cut to produce segments of 160 cm3 in volume.

Capacity
When describing the volume of liquids
we often use the term capacity.
Capacity can be measured in the same units
as volume (for example, cubic centimetres
or cubic metres), but two other units are
commonly used. A millilitre (mL) is the
same volume as a cubic centimetre (cm3).
A teaspoon holds about 5 millilitres of liquid.
A litre (L) equals 1000 millilitres.
A standard milk carton holds one litre.
Most large plastic fruit juice containers
hold 2 litres.
1 litre (L) = 1000 millilitres (mL)

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Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

The following chart can be used to convert between litres and millilitres.
1000
L

mL
1000

Also:

1 cm3 = 1 mL
1000 cm3 = 1 L

WORKED Example 10
Copy and complete the following unit conversions.
a 6L =
mL
b 700 mL =
L

c 0.45 L =

cm3

THINK

WRITE

a Check the conversion chart.

To convert litres to millilitres, multiply by 1000.

a 6 L = 6 1000 mL
= 6000 mL

b Check the conversion chart.

To convert millilitres to litres, divide by 1000.

b 700 mL = 700 1000 L

= 0.7 L

c Check the conversion chart.

To convert litres to millilitres, multiply by 1000.
Note that 1 mL = 1 cm3.

c 0.45 L = 0.45 1000 mL

= 450 mL
= 450 cm3

remember
remember
1. Capacity is a term that is commonly used to describe the volume of liquids.
2. A millilitre is equivalent to 1 cm3.
3. 1 litre (L) = 1000 millilitres (mL).

8H
WORKED

Example

10a, b

Capacity

1 Copy and complete the following unit conversions.

a 2L=
mL
b 3000 mL =
c 13 L =
mL
d 7000 mL =
e 5500 mL =
L
f 260 mL =
g 2.5 L =
mL
h 32 000 mL =
i 55 mL =
L
j 0.035 L =
k 420 L =
mL
l 0.99 L =
m 1.87 L =
mL
n 22 500 mL =
o 350 mL =
L
p 38 L =
q 25 mL =
L
r 0.007 L =

L
L
L
L
mL
mL
L
mL
mL

Capacity
unit
conversions

Capacity
unit
conversions

314
WORKED

Example

10c

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

2 Copy and complete the following unit conversions.

a 750 cm3 =
c

800 cm =

mL =

e 6L=

b 2500 cm3 =

mL
mL =

g 2.45 L =

L
cm3

40 000 cm =

5.2 L =

mL
mL =

mL =

h 78 000 cm3 =

cm3

L
cm3

3 multiple choice
25 L is equal to:
A 0.025 mL B 250 mL

C 0.25 mL

D 25 000 mL

E 2500 mL

D 3.5400 L

E 35.4 L

4 multiple choice
35 400 mL is equal to:
A 354 L
B 35 400 000 L C 0.354 L
5 Arrange in order from smallest to largest:
a 2.5 L, 25 000 mL, 0.25 L, 2.45 L
b 760 mL, 0.765 L, 7.65 mL, 7.60 L
c 110 mL, 0.1 L, 0.011 L, 1.1 L
6 The milk carton shown has a
capacity of 1 litre.
Estimate the capacity of each of
the following items.

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

315

7 A bottle contains 250 mL of orange juice concentrate. How much water should be
added to make up 2 L of juice from the concentrate?
8 A scientist dilutes (waters down) an acid solution by adding 120 mL of acid to 1.5 L
of water. How much of the diluted solution will this make?
9 Most wine is sold in 750 mL bottles. How many litres of wine are there in one dozen
such bottles?
10 A medicine bottle contains 125 mL of cough syrup. How many 2.5 mL doses could be
administered from this bottle, assuming that none is spilt?
11 Anthea runs a market stall selling detergent. How many 200 mL bottles of detergent
could she fill from a 45 L bulk container?
12 A 185 mL container of Shine hair conditioner is sold at the special price of $3.70. A
0.5 L container of the same conditioner costs $11.00. Which is the better buy?
(Hint: Find the cost of 1 mL of hair conditioner in each case.)
13 A milk bar sells 55 small bottles of lemon drink in one week. How many litres of
drink is sold if each bottle contains 180 mL?
14 Petrov is working as a school laboratory technician. How many litres of salt solution
should Petrov prepare for an experiment in which there are 12 groups of students if
each group requires 400 mL of solution?
15 How many millilitres of milk does
this container hold?

8 cm

11 cm

7 cm

316

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

16 Water is to be poured into this fish tank. How many

litres of water are needed to fill the tank to a depth
of 28 cm?

30 cm
75 cm

24 cm

17 Estimate how many litres of water each sink will hold if filled to the top using the
measurements shown. (Hint: First convert the measurements to centimetres.)

180 mm

430 mm

350 mm

18 To achieve a world record, a 16 400 L strawberry milkshake was made in the UK in

1996. To understand how large this is, consider the size of a rectangular prism which
would hold this capacity. Suggest three possible sets of measurements for this container.

QUEST

GE

EN

MAT H

8.3

CH

AL

1 Ivan cut up a rectangular slab of fudge by first making 4 equally

spaced parallel vertical straight cuts and then making 4 equally spaced
horizontal parallel straight cuts. How many pieces of fudge were produced?
2 A wooden cube with the length, width and height all measuring 3 cm is
painted blue on all of its six faces. It is then cut into 27 separate cubes
each of length, width and height of 1 cm.
a How many small cubes have 3 faces painted blue?
b How many small cubes have 2 faces painted blue?
c How many small cubes have 1 face painted blue?
d How many small cubes have no paint on any of their faces?

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

317

Around the house

At the start of the chapter, you were asked to consider the cost of carpeting a
lounge room using the measurements on the house plan shown below. Many other
useful measurements can be calculated from the plan.
4.8 m

1.6 m

0.7 m
WC

2.6 m
1100
mm

2.5 m
4m

Bathroom

Kitchen/Dining

3m
Spa
1100
mm

Bed 3

3m

0.8 m

6m

Bed 2

3m

Bed 1

4m

Lounge

Scale 1:100
6m

2m

4m

1. Calculate the area of the lounge room from the plan.

2. How much will it cost to have the lounge room carpeted if the cost of the carpet
is $29 per square metre fully laid?
3. If the bedroom floors are also to be laid with carpet, calculate the total cost for
the job.
4. The remaining floor surface is to be covered with square timber tiles which
come in packs of 20. Each tile has a length of 12 cm. Estimate how many packs
of tiles will be needed to cover the remaining floor surface.
5. The kitchen benches are to be laid with a laminated material. What area of
material will be needed to cover the whole surface including the area where the
hot plates will be located?
6. The house is to be built on a concrete slab. If the slab is to be 45 cm thick,
calculate the volume of concrete that will be needed.
7. A spa bath is to be located in the bathroom. If it can be filled with water to a
depth of 35 cm, how many litres of water will it hold?

318

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

summary
Copy the sentences below. Fill in the gaps by choosing the correct word or
expression from the word list that follows.
1

is the amount of flat surface enclosed by a shape.

Two metric units of area are

and

The formula A = lw is used to find the area of a

To

To convert square centimetres to square metres you need to

by
.

One

The area of a triangle is

base and height.

The
that it occupies.

Two metric units of volume are

convert

square
by

kilometres
.

to

square

metres

you

need

to

is equal to ten thousand square metres.

that of a rectangle with the same

of a three-dimensional object is the amount of space

and

prism is given by the formula V = lwH or

10

The volume of a
V = AH.

11

The volume of any prism can be found by multiplying the area of its
by its
.

12
13

is the term used when describing the volume of liquids.

Two metric units of capacity are

WORD
height
10 000
multiply
cubic metres
litres
area
square metres

and

LIST
base
half
volume
square centimetres
rectangular
cubic centimetres
capacity

divide
millilitres
rectangle
1 000 000
hectare

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

319

CHAPTER
review
1 Which unit of area would be most appropriate for measuring the following?
(Choose from mm2, cm2, m2, ha or km2.)
a
c
e
g

The floor area of your classroom

A pin head
A floor tile
The floor area in a house

b
d
f
h

8A

The area of the state of New South Wales

A market garden
A bench top
The area of the continent of Antarctica

2 On a sheet of graph paper, draw five different figures each of which have an area of 12 cm2.
3 Find the area of the following figures, which are drawn on centimetre grid paper.
a
b
c

4 Estimate the shaded area in each of the figures below.

a

8A

5 Use the formula A = lw to find the area of the following rectangles.

a
b
c
6 cm
15 m
10 m

8A
8A

8B

47 mm

1 cm
62 mm

320

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

27 cm

6.5 m

60 km
18 cm

1.95 m

24 km

8B

6 Find the area of the following shapes by first dividing them into rectangles.
a
b
c
3 cm
5 cm
2 cm
1 cm
1 cm

4 cm

4 cm

4 cm

1 cm

1 cm
3 cm

3 cm

2 cm

20 cm
10 cm

8 cm
4 cm

8 cm

2 cm

4 cm
2 cm

24 cm

4 cm
10 cm

10 cm
16 cm

1.5 cm

8B
8B

7 Find the area of a rectangular newspaper sheet which is 41 cm long and 30 cm wide.

8C

9 Complete the following unit conversions.

a 56 000 cm2 =
m2
2
c 0.3 ha =
m
2
e 84 000 000 m =
km2
g 0.0034 m2 =
cm2

8D

8 Find the cost of paving a rectangular courtyard which is 6.5 m long and 3.2 m wide. The
courtyard is to be paved with concrete paving blocks, which cost $28 per square metre.
b
d
f
h

50 000 mm2 =
25 300 m2 =
5.14 cm2 =
1.25 ha =

cm2
ha
mm2
m2

10 Find the area of card needed to make the triangular display sign shown below.
4m

1.8 m

8D

11 When making a box kite, Katie cuts a square piece

of material diagonally, as shown by the dotted line.
What is the area of each triangular piece of material?

1.2 m

1.2 m

Chapter 8 Area, volume and capacity

321

12 How many cubic centimetres (cm3) are in each shape below?

a
b
c

8E

2.5 m
8m

13 The tip truck at right is filled with sand,

level with the top of the tray. How many
cubic metres of sand does the truck hold?

3m

14 Use the rule Volume of a prism = area of base height to find the volume of the prisms
shown below. Each cube has a volume of 1 cm3.
a
b
c

8F

8G

322
8G

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria

15 Use the information given in the diagrams below to find the volume of each prism.
a

4 cm
3 cm
2 cm

3 cm

Area = 32 cm2

3 cm
4 cm

4 cm

4 cm
12 cm

11 cm

1 cm
1 cm
5 cm

d
5 cm

3 cm
Area = 8 cm2

5 cm

8G

16 If the base area of a compact disc case is 168 cm2 and its height is 1 cm, find the volume of
a stack of 95 compact disc cases.

8H

17 Copy and complete the following conversions.

a

8L=

3300 mL =

43 L =

4755 mL =

b 0.42 L =

mL
L

d 1.012 L =
f

mL
L

0.0034 L =

h 432 mL =

mL
mL
mL
L

8H

18 In a home economics class, each of 14 groups of students uses 350 mL of fresh milk to
make pancakes. How many litres of milk should be ordered to provide for the whole class?

8H

19 Mario makes up raspberry cordial by pouring 275 mL of concentrate into a 2 litre container
and filling the container with cold water.
a How much cold water does Mario add?
b How many 250 mL glasses of cordial will Mario be able to
pour from the large container?

8H

20 How many litres of water would the goldfish bowl,

shown at right, hold?

CHAPTER

test
yourself