GET DIRECTORATE

MATHEMATICS
GRADE 6

TOPIC: CAPACITY AND VOLUME

1. Day 1: ACTIVITY 1:
Answer all the questions in your answer book. Use the memorandum at the end
of the activity to check your work.

Today you are going to learn what the difference between CAPACITY and
VOLUME is.

Below are four pictures of labels of containers. What does the encircled number
mean?

The number indicate the CAPACITY. Capacity is the space that is available inside a
container.

1|Page
Grade 6
Capacity and Volume
The plastic bottle on the left below can contain 440 milliliter of liquid. The capacity of
this botlle is therefore 440 ml. The bottle is filled with cold drink and contains 440 ml.
The volume of the liquid is thus 440ml.

On the right-hand side is the same bottle but half of the

cold drink is left.

The capacity of this bottle is 440ml.

The volume of the cold drink however is only 220ml.

Volume measures the amount of space the material of an object or liquid fills up.

1. Study the pictures and complete the questions in your workbook.

Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3

a) What is the capacity of all the containers in picture 1?
b) What is the capacity of all the containers in picture 2?
c) What is the capacity of all the containers in picture 3?
d) What is the volume of all the containers in picture 1?
e) What is the volume of all the containers in picture 2?
f) What is the volume of all the containers in picture 3?

Grade 6 Page 2 of 21
Capacity and Volume
2. Study the pictures of the three bottles and answer the questions in your workbook.

bottle A bottle B bottle C

a) What is the capacity of bottle A?

b) What is the capacity of bottle B?
c) What is the capacity of bottle C?
d) What is the volume of liquid in bottle A?
e) What is the volume of liquid in bottle B?
f) What is the volume of liquid in bottle C?

3. Read with attention and answer the questions in your workbook.

The wide bottle on the left will hold 120 ml of liquid (or sugar, or flour
or other material) when it is filled up to its shoulder. The capacity of
the wide bottle up to its shoulder is 120 ml. The wide bottle in the
picture contains 60 ml of oil. The volume of oil in the bottle is 60 ml.
The capacity of the narrow bottle up to its shoulder is 20 ml.

20 ml of oil is poured from the wide bottle into the narrow bottle.
3a) What is the volume of the oil in the wide bottle now?
3b) What is the capacity of the wide bottle up to its shoulder?
3c) How much oil must now be added to fill the wide bottle up to
its shoulder?

Grade 6 Page 3 of 21
Capacity and Volume
CONSOLIDATION:

Capacity is the space that is available inside a container.

Volume measures the amount of space the material of an object or

liquid fills up.
HOMEWORK: Answer the questions in your workbook. Use the
memorandum at the end of the activity to check your work.

1. What is the volume of liquid in each of the measuring cups below, and what is the
capacity of each cup?

Volume:
Volume:
Capacity:
Capacity:

Volume: Volume:

Capacity: Capacity:

Memorandum: Classwork

1a) 2 ℓ b) 1 ℓ c) 500 mℓ d) 1ℓ
e) 1 ℓ + 500 mℓ + 250 mℓ = 1 ℓ 750mℓ
f) 500 m ℓ + 250 mℓ + 100 mℓ = 850 mℓ

2a) 2 ℓ b) 2 ℓ c) 2 ℓ
3 1
d) 1ℓ 750 m ℓ or 1,75 ℓ or 14 ℓ e) 500mℓ f) 1 ℓ 500 mℓ or 1,5ℓ or 1 2 ℓ
3a) 40 mℓ b) 120 mℓ c) 80 mℓ

Memorandum: Homework

1a) Volume: approximately 190 ml 1b) Volume: approximately 420 ml

Grade 6 Page 4 of 21
Capacity and Volume
 Capacity: slightly more than 500 ml Capacity: slightly more than 500 ml

1c) Volume: approximately 280 ml 1d) Volume: approximately 350 ml

Capacity: slightly more than 500 ml Capacity: slightly more than 500 ml

Grade 6 Page 5 of 21
Capacity and Volume
Day 2: ACTIVITY: Today you will learn how to read unnumbered
intervals
CLASSWORK
Answer all the questions in your workbook. Use the memorandum at the
end of your activity to check your work.

Keep in mind: on a ruler, the gaps (intervals) between centimetre marks are
always the same on all rulers.

A short, wider container will have millilitre marks widely spaced, while a tall, narrow container
will have its millilitre marks close together.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
When measuring the volume of a liquid it is important to read
the measurement correctly. Your eye should be level with the
bottom, curved surface, the meniscus, of the liquid.

Grade 6 Page 6 of 21
Capacity and Volume
1. Write down the volume of the liquid in the measuring cylinder.

ml ml ml
1000 1000 1000

900 900 900

800 800 800

700 700 700

600 600 600

500 500 500

400 400 400

300 300 300

200 200 200

100 100 100

A B C
a) Volume of measuring cylinder A
b) Volume of measuring cylinder B
500
c) Volume of measuring cylinder C

How to determine the readings of the unnumbered intervals.

400
The measuring cylinder on the right is used
Count the number spaces (intervals) between two numbers.
There are two spaces between 300 and 400. 1
300
The difference between 300 and 400 is 100. Now I divide the
difference between the number of spaces.
Therefore 100 ÷ 2 = 50. The number between 300 and 400
will be 350. 200

100

Grade 6 Page 7 of 21
Capacity and Volume
Let us do another example. 500

Count the number spaces (intervals) between two numbers.

There are four spaces between 300 and 400. 400
The difference between 300 and 400 is 100. Now I divide the
difference between the number of spaces.
Therefore 100 ÷ 4 = 25. The numbers between 300 and 400
300
will therefore be 325, 350 and 375

2. Write down the volume of liquid in every measuring jug

200

100

A B C

D E F
a) Volume of measuring jug A b) Volume of measuring jug B
c) Volume of measuring jug C d) Volume of measuring jug D
e) Volume of measuring jug E f) Volume of measuring jug F

CONSOLIDATION:
The following must be done to determine the value of unnumbered intervals:
(1) determine the difference between the 2 numbers (e.g: 800 – 600 = 200)
(2) determine the number of intervals between the two numbers. (e.g.5)
(3) divide the number of spaces into the difference between the two numbers.
(example: 200 ÷ 5 = 40)

Grade 6 Page 8 of 21
Capacity and Volume
HOMEWORK: Answer all the questions in your workbook. Use the
memorandum at the end of your activity to check your work.

3. Write down the volume of liquid in each of the measuring cylinders.

Remember to calculate the value of the unnumbered intervals.

A B C D E

a) Volume of liquid in measuring cylinder A b) Volume of liquid in measuring cylinder B

c) Volume of liquid in measuring cylinder C d) Volume of liquid in measuring cylinder D
e) Volume of liquid in measuring cylinder E

4. Write down the volume of liquid in each of the measuring cylinders. Remember to
calculate the value of the unnumbered intervals.

A B C D E F

Grade 6 Page 9 of 21
Capacity and Volume
MEMORANDUM: CLASS ACTIVITY
1a) Volume of measuring cylinder A = 300ml
1b) Volume of measuring cylinder B = 800 ml
1c) Volume of measuring cylinder C = 500 ml

2a) Volume of measuring jug A = 300 ml 2b) Volume of measuring jug A B=

850 ml
2c) Volume of measuring jug C = 1 300 ml 2d) Volume of measuring jug A D = 800
ml
2e) Volume of measuring jug E = 650 ml 2f) Volume of measuring jug A F = 200 ml

MEMORANDUM: HOMEWORK

3.a) Volume of measuring cylinder A = 12 ml

b) Volume of measuring cylinder B = 22 ml
c) Volume of measuring cylinder C = 18 ml
d) Volume of measuring cylinder D = 36 ml
e) Volume of measuring cylinder E = 17 ml

4a) Volume of measuring cylinder A = 4,1 ml b) Volume of measuring cylinder B = 1,9 ml

c) Volume of measuring cylinder C = 9,2 ml d) Volume of measuring cylinder D = 1,8 ml
e) Volume of measuring cylinder E = 0,9 ml f) Volume of measuring cylinder F = 4,4 ml

Grade 6 Page 10 of 21
Capacity and Volume
DAY 3: Classroom activity
Answer all the questions in your workbook. Use the memorandum at the
end of your activity to check your work.

Today will be exposed to different containers to determine the volume of the

containers.

Study the questions and write the answers in your workbook.

1. The above picture shows the actual size of a small syringe.

(a) What do you think the capacity of this syringe is?

(b) How much medicine is in the syringe?

2. What volume of medicine is in each of the syringes?

Thickness of the plunger

3. (a) What is the measuring capacity of each syringe?

(b) For each syringe, state how much more medicine can be drawn in to fill it up to its
measuring capacity.
(c) Which syringe contains the most medicine?

4. (a) Which spoon will you use to measure 30 ml of medicine?

(b) Which combination of spoons will you use to measure 20 ml of medicine accurately?
(c) Which combination of spoons will you use to measure 10 ml of medicine accurately?

Grade 6 Page 11 of 21
Capacity and Volume
5. A tablespoon has a capacity of about 15 ml. How many tablespoons of water do you need
to fill a cup with a capacity of 250 ml?

6. Imagine that measuring jugs such as the ones below have some juice in them. State the
volume of juice indicated by each arrow. In the cases where the juice level is not at a mark,
you have to estimate the volume.

HOMEWORK:

Complete the following in your exercise book and check your answers at the end of
today’s lesson.

1. Estimate the capacity of each object (write down the letter for each object)

B
A

(i) 2 ℓ (ii) 200ml (iii) 20ml (i) 20ℓ (ii) 5ℓ (iii) 50ℓ

D
C

Grade 6 Page 12 of 21
Capacity and Volume
 (i) 15ml (ii) 1ℓ (iii) 150ml (i) 20ℓ (ii) 20ml (iii) 200ml

2. If you add 200ml of water to each jug, what would the new reading be?

A B

3. Indicate which unit of measurement should be used. Fill in millilitre, litre or kilolitre.

Remember that: 1ℓ = 1 000 mℓ and that 1kl = 1 000ℓ

Grade 6 Page 13 of 21
Capacity and Volume
4. Look at the following pictures:

How many 250ml

cups will I need to fill
the one litre bottle?
________

DAY 3:
MEMORANDUM: CLASS ACTIVITY
1. (a) The capacity is 5 ml.
(b) It seems that there is 2,5 ml to 3 ml of medicine in the syringe.

2. Syringe A: 14 ml (The intervals or gaps on the scale are each 2 ml.)

1 1
Syringe B: 1 4 ml (The intervals or gaps on the scale are each 4 ml.)
Syringe C: 13 ml (The intervals or gaps on the scale are each 1 ml.)
1 1
Syringe D: 4 2 ml (The intervals or gaps on the scale are each 2 ml.)

3. (a) A: 22 ml; B: 2 ml; C: 21 ml; D: 6 ml

(b) Syringe A: 22 ml – 14 ml = 8 ml
1 3
Syringe B: 2 ml − 1 ml = ml
4 4
Syringe C: 21 ml − 13 ml = 8 ml
1 1
Syringe D: 6 ml − 4 2 ml = 1 2 ml
(c) Syringe A, because it contains 14 ml.

4. (a) There are several solutions:

Use the 15 ml-spoon twice
Use the 7,5 ml- spoon four times;
Use the 2,5 ml- spoon 12 times
Use the 1,5 ml- spoon 20 times.
(b) There are different suggestions: Use the 15 ml- and the 5 ml-spoons;
Use the 7,5 ml-spoon twice and the 5 ml-spoon once.
(c) Use the 7,5 ml- and the 2,5 ml-spoons.

2
5. Number of tablespoons; 250 ÷ 15 = 16 3 tablespoons
An approximated answer would be 17 tablespoons

6. (a) 500 ml (b) About 410 ml (c) 300 ml (d) About 270 ml
(e) About 170 ml (f) About 170 ml

Grade 6 Page 14 of 21
Capacity and Volume
MEMORANDUM: HOMEWORK

1.A(i) B(i) C(ii) D (iii)

2. Measuring jug A: (250 + 200) ml = 450ml Measuring jug B: (200 + 200) ml = 400 ml

3.

litres

litres

litres

kilolitres

millilitres

4. Number of cups = 1 000 ÷ 250

=4

Grade 6 Page 15 of 21
Capacity and Volume
DAY 4: CLASS ACTIVITY:
Complete the following in your exercise book. Use the memorandum to
check your answers at the end of today’s lesson.

Today you will learn more about conversion of measurement units

Three measurement units namely millilitre, litre en kilolitre are used.

millilitre (mℓ)

kilolitre (kℓ)
litre (ℓ)
kilolitre (kℓ)

The units which have been scratched are units that are not used in everyday life.
We use kilolitre, litre en millilitre.
X 1000 X 1000

kilolitre hektolitre dekalitre litre decilitre centilitre millilitre

(kℓ) (ℓ) (mℓ)

÷ 1000 ÷ 1000

REMEMBER:
The prefix kilo means “1 000”. 1 Kilolitre = 1000 litre
Also 1 kilometre = 1000 m; 1 kilogram = 1 000 gram
1
The prefix milli means thousands(1000 )
1
One millilitre = one thousandths of a litre [ 1 mℓ = 1000 litre or
0,001 litre

EXAMPLES:
5 kℓ = 5 000 ℓ (x 1 000)
12 ℓ = 12 000 mℓ (x 1000)
34 000 mℓ = 34 ℓ (÷1 000)
345 mℓ = 0,345 ℓ (÷ 1000)

Grade 6 Page 16 of 21
Capacity and Volume
Carefully read the questions and write answers in your workbook.

1. With which unit (ml, ℓ or kl) will you measure the following?
(a) salt for dough of 10 loaves of bread
(b) water for the coffee flask
(c) petrol for the car
(d) water for the bathtub
(e) water in the Vaal dam
(f) a dose of cough mixture.

2. (a) How many cups of 250 ml each do you need to fill a

To find the answers for
5 ℓ bucket with water? questions 2 and 3, it will help
(b) How many buckets of 5 ℓ each can you fill with you to keep in mind that 1 ℓ =
water from a full 2 kl water tank? 1 000 ml, so 5 ℓ = 5 000 ml, and
(c) How many 20 ℓ tanks can be filled from a dam that that 1 kl = 1 000 ℓ,
holds 6 kl? so 6 kl = 6 000 ℓ.

3. (a) How many 5 ml spoonfuls will fill a 250 ml cup?

(b) A 1ℓ container holds 1 000 ml. How many 250 ml measuring cupfuls will fill the container?
(c) How many 5 ml spoonfuls do you need to fill a 1ℓ jug?

3
4. Write these volumes as fractions of 1ℓ. Example: 2 750 ml = 2 4 ℓ
(a) 250 ml (b) 800 ml
(c) 750 ml (d) 100 ml
(e) 50 ml (f) 1 500 ml
(g) 1 ℓ + 500 ml (h) 3 050 ml

5. You know by now that decimals are just another way of expressing fractions. Therefore, you
can also write the above volumes in decimal notation as litres. Try to do that!

5
6. Write each of the following in millilitres. Example: 0,5 ℓ = 10 ℓ = 500 ml
(a) 0,1 ℓ (b) 0,6 ℓ
(c) 0,9 ℓ (d) 1,4 ℓ
(e) 5,3 ℓ (f) 10 ℓ
(g) 100 ℓ (h) 500 ℓ
(i) one tenth of a kilolitre (j) five tenths of a kilolitre
(k) 1 kl (l) 1,5 kl
(m) 2,7 kl (n) 0,25 kl

Grade 6 Page 17 of 21
Capacity and Volume
HOMEWORK: Answer the questions in your workbook. Use the memorandum at
the end of the activity to mark your work.

7. (a) During a drought, 1 kl of water is to be equally shared between 50 people.

How much
water will each person get?
(b) How much water will each person get if 1 kl is to be equally shared between
100 people?
(c) How much water will each person get if 1 kl is to be equally shared between
1 000
people?

When you do question 8, it will help you to keep in mind that fractions can be written in
3 2
decimal notation. For example, + can be written as 0,3 + 0,02 which is 0,32.
10 100

8. Write each of the following in litres.

(a) one tenth of 1 kl (b) 0,1 kl
(c) one hundredth of 1 kl (d) one thousandth of 1 kl
(e) 0,01 kl (f) 3,07 kl
(g) 0,11 kl (h) 2,5 kl
(i) 2,11 kl (j) 3,25 kl
(k) 4,35 kl (l) 10,05 kl
(m) 600 kl (n) 6 000 ml

Common fraction Decimal fraction

500 ℓ 500 0,5 kilolitre

𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒
1000
250 ℓ 250 0,25 kilolitre
Study these
1000
𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 examples. It
100 ℓ 100
𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒
0,1 kilolitre will help you
1000 with
70 ℓ 70 0,07 kilolitre
1000
𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 conversion.
35 ml 35 0,035 litre
𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒
1000
425 ml 425 0,425 litre
𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒
1000

9. (a) How many tenths of a kl is 400 ℓ? Write it in decimal notation.

(b) How many hundredths of a kl is 360 ℓ? Write it in decimal notation.

Grade 6 Page 18 of 21
Capacity and Volume
DAY 4
MEMORANDUM: CLASS ACTIVITY

1. (a) millilitre / ml (b) millilitre / ml (c) litre / ℓ

(d) litre / ℓ (e) kilolitre / kl (f) millilitre/ ml

2.(a) Four cups of 250 ml will give me 1 ℓ, so for 5 ℓ I need five time that amount,
which is 20 cups.
(b) 2 kl is 2 000 ℓ. Number of buckets: 2 000 ÷ 5 = 400
(c) 6 kl is 6 000 ℓ. Number of tanks: 6 000 ℓ ÷ 20 = 300 tanks

3. (a) 250 ml ÷ 5 = 50 spoonfuls

(b) It will take 4 cupfuls to fill the container.
(c) 1 ℓ is 1 000 ml: 1 000 ml ÷ 5 ml = 200 spoonfuls

1 8 4 3 1
4. (a) 4 ℓ (b) 10 or 5 ℓ (c) 4 ℓ (d) 10 ℓ
5 1 1 1 50 1
(e) 100 of 20 ℓ (f) 12 ℓ (g) 12 ℓ (h) 3 1 000 of 3 20 ℓ

5. (a) 0,25 ℓ (b) 0,8 ℓ (c) 0,75 ℓ (d) 0,1 ℓ

(e) 0,05 ℓ (f) 1,5 ℓ (g) 1,5 ℓ (h) 3,05 ℓ

1 6 9
6. (a) 0,1 ℓ = ℓ = 100 ml (b) 0,6 ℓ = ℓ = 600 ml (c) 0,9 ℓ = ℓ = 900 ml
10 10 10
4 3
(d) 1,4 ℓ = 1 10 ℓ = 1 400 ml (e) 5,3 ℓ = 5 10 ℓ = 5 300 ml (f) 10 ℓ = 10 000 ml
1
(g) 100 ℓ = 100 000 ml (h) 500 ℓ = 500 000 ml (i) 10 kl = 100 ℓ = 100 000 ml
(j) 5 10 kl = 500 ℓ = 500 000 ml (k) 1 kl = 1 000 ℓ = 1 000 000ml
7
(l) 1,5 kl = 1 500 ℓ = 1 500 000 ml (m) 2,7 kl = 2 10 kl = 2 700 000 ml
1
(n) 0,25 kl = 4 kl = 250 000 ml

MEMORANDUM: HOMEWORK

7. (a) 1 kl of water is 1 000 ℓ, so 1 000 ℓ ÷ 50 = 20 ℓ .

(b) 1 000 ℓ ÷ 100 = 10 ℓ.
(c) Each person will get just 1 ℓ of water.

8. (a) 100 ℓ (b) 100 ℓ (c) 10 ℓ (d) 1 ℓ

(e) 10 ℓ (f) 3 070 ℓ (g) 110 ℓ (h) 2 500 ℓ
(i) 2 110 ℓ (j) 3 250 ℓ (k) 4 350 ℓ (l) 10 050 ℓ
(m) 600 000 ℓ (n) 6 ℓ

9. (a) 0,4 kl (b) 0,36 kl

Grade 6 Page 19 of 21
Capacity and Volume
DAY 5: CLASS ACTIVITY
Complete the following in your exercise book. Use the memorandum to
check your answers at the end of today’s lesson.

1. Express each of the following in kl, as a fraction in common fraction notation

and in
decimal notation.
(a) 250 ℓ (b) 1 250 ℓ (c) 2 750 ℓ (d) 650 ℓ
(e) 150 ℓ (f) 12 500 ℓ (g) 370 ℓ (h) 6 830 ℓ
(i) 80 000 ml (j) 600 000 ml

2. (a) Write in ascending order: 639 ℓ; 2,54 kl; 45 100 ml; 7,33 ℓ; 8 kl
1 1
(b) Write in descending order: 87 420 ml; 0,25 kl; 125 2
ℓ; 1 4 kl; 6,89 ℓ

3. Thuli adds 250 ml of concentrated fruit juice to 2 ℓ of water, to make drinks for the athletes in
a long-distance race.
(a) How much concentrated juice should she add to 5 ℓ of water?
(b) How many athletes can she provide with 400 ml of juice each, with the juice she made
by adding concentrate to 5 ℓ of water?

4. Diesoline is used to generate electricity at a small power station. The power station uses
684 ℓ of diesoline each day. For how many days can the power station operate if there is a
stock of 9 765 ℓ of diesoline available?

5. The following volumes of milk are produced on a dairy farm on the first 10 days of
November:

1 287 ℓ 1 321 ℓ 1 108 ℓ 1 234 ℓ 1 276 ℓ

1 117 ℓ 1 198 ℓ 1 223 ℓ 1 298 ℓ 1 201 ℓ

Approximately how much milk, in total, do you think will be produced over the next 6 days?

CONSOLIDATION
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:
• ml is a symbol for millilitre.
• ℓ is a symbol for litre.
• kl is a symbol for kilolitre.
• 1 000 ml is the same as 1 ℓ.
• 1 000 ℓ is the same as 1 kl

Grade 6 Page 20 of 21
Capacity and Volume
DAY 5: MEMORANDUM : CLASSWORK

1 1 3
1. (a) kl = 0,25 kl (b) 1 kl = 1,25 kl (c) 2 kl = 2,75 kl
4 4 4
65 15 1
(d) 1 000
kl = 0,65 kl (e) 100
kl = 0,15 kl (f) 122 kl = 12,5 kl

37 83 8
(g) 1 000 kl = 0,37 kl (h) 6 100 kl = 6,83 kl (i) 100 kl = 0,08 kl
6
(j) 10 kl = 0,6 kl

1 1
2. a) 7,33 ℓ; 45 100 ml; 639 ℓ; 2,54 kl; 8 kl (b) 14 kl; 0,25 kl; 1252 ℓ; 87 420 ml; 6,89 ℓ

3a) For 1 ℓ of water: 250 ml ÷2 = 125 ml of concentrated fruit juice

For 5 ℓ of water: 125 x 5 = 625 ml

(b) 14 athletes, because 5 000 ml water + 625 ml concentrate gives 5 625 ml. At 400 ml per
athlete, that will be enough for 14 servings.

4. Number of days: 9 765 litre ÷ 684 litre = 14 days

5. The total for 10 days is 12 260 ℓ. The average is 1 226 ℓ per day. (12 260 ℓ ÷ 10 = 1 226 ℓ)
For 6 days: 1 226 ℓ x 6 = 7 356 ℓ

Grade 6 Page 21 of 21
Capacity and Volume