About Liquid Measurements

Matter comes in one of three states: solid, liquid and gas. Liquids take the shape of their containers and are able to be poured. It is important to be able to measure liquids in order to do cooking, chemistry, medicine and many industrial tasks.

Identification

Liquid measurements describe how much volume of liquid occupies a container. There are two systems of liquid measurement: the English system and the metric system. The English system is commonly used in the United States for recipes and labeling food, gas and household chemicals. The metric system is used in scientific laboratories. Most of the world uses the metric system for all liquid measurements, whereas in the United States it is only used for medicines and for soda which is sold in 1-, 2- and 3-liter bottles.

Features

The largest liquid measurement in the English system is the gallon. Four quarts make one gallon. Two pints make one quart, and two cups make one pint. Milk and gasoline are sold in gallons. Heavy whipping cream is sold in half-pint containers.

Size

The largest liquid measurement in the metric system is a kiloliter. Kilo means 1,000, so 1,000 liters make up 1 kiloliter, and 1,000 milliliters make up 1 liter. A milliliter is the same as a cubic centimeter (abbreviated as cc), and a cubic meter is the same as a kiloliter.

Types

A lot of different types of containers can be used to measure liquid. A burette measures the smallest amounts of cubic centimeters, and a graduated cylinder can measure more, depending on its size. Syringes and droppers measure liquid in its smallest amounts, the drop. Measuring spoons and measuring cups may be marked with the English system, the metric system, or both.

Considerations

When liquid settles in a measuring cup, the surface curves slightly. The meniscus is the spot at the bottom of the curve. Where the meniscus meets the marking on the measuring cup or graduated cylinder is the measurement of the liquid in the container unless the liquid is mercury. Mercury curves up at the surface, so it is measured at the top of the curve.

Expert Insight

Sometimes the flow of a liquid needs to be measured. This is expressed as a rate. It tells how fast a certain volume of liquid moves. Flow is measured by flow meters.