What Is the Formula for the Volume of a Cubic Centimeter?

The volume of a cubic centimeter is a milliliter (mL). A milliliter is 1/1,000 of a liter (L). A gallon is 3.785 liters, so a cubic centimeter is 0.000264 gallons.

Physical Basis of Definition

The liter has been defined as a cubic decimeter (tenth of a meter). Since there are 10 centimeters in a decimeter, there are 1000 cubic centimeters in a cubic decimeter--and therefore, a thousand cubic centimeters in a liter.

Conversion to Weight

The kilogram (kg) has been defined as the mass of liquid water in a liter (L). Dividing both units by 1,000, a gram (g) therefore equals a milliliter (mL).

A Formula

X liters = X decimeters^3. Therefore, X liters = 1,000---X cc = 1,000---X cm^3. Note that "cc" means cubic centimeters, as commonly used in medicine.

A Weight Formula

Y kg = Y L. Therefore, 1,000---Y g = 1,000---Y mL, or Y g = Y mL.

Physical Basis of Definitions

Metric units in general are derived from physical properties, such as the weight of water. As described above, the definition of the gram was based on the liter, which in turn was based on the meter, a distance originally defined as 1/10,000,000 of the distance between the North Pole and the Equator.

(In 1960, the meter was redefined in terms of the wavelengths of orange-red light emitted by krypton-86. In 1983, the meter was redefined again in terms of how far light travels in a certain time.)

References

• UNC: A Dictionary of Units of Measurement