How to Calculate Volume in a Wire
Wires are right-circular cylinders, so to calculate the amount of volume in a wire you will need to multiply the area of a cross section of the wire by the length of the wire. According to Merriam-Webster, a right-circular cylinder is “a cylinder with the bases circular and with the axis joining the two centers of the bases perpendicular to the planes of the two bases.” Make sure you use the same units (e.g. millimeters, inches, etc.) for measuring the diameter of the wire as you use for measuring the length of the wire.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Writing utensil (e.g. pencil)
- Ruler or other measuring device
- Calculator (optional)
Instructions
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1
Measure the diameter of the wire at one of the ends by measuring the width of the thickest portion of the end of the wire.
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2
Multiply this diameter by one-half to determine the length of the radius of the wire.
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3
Multiply the radius by pi. Pi is equivalent to approximately 3.14159265. Multiply the radius by this value.
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4
Square the value from Step 3. This means multiply the value from Step 4 by itself.
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5
Multiply the value from Step 4 by the length of the wire. The result of this calculation is the volume of the wire.
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References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
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Comments
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Step 3 is incorrect as A = pi * R * R, not pi * pi * r * r.
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you actually have to square the radius before you multiply it by pi, or you will get a much bigger number than is realistic.
