How to Calculate Volume Change

In order to calculate volume change, you will have to know the previous volume and the current volume. Volume is the amount of three-dimensional space occupied by an object. Volume change can be a result of a liquid or gas expanding or contracting due to a change in temperature or pressure. Volume change is expressed in terms of percent change.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Take your two volumes. For example, if a bottle contained 4 liters and now contains 4.2 liters, your initial volume is 4 and your new volume is 4.2.

2. Subtract the new volume from the old volume, and then divide the difference by the old volume. Following the example, you would subtract 4 from 4.2, for a total of .2, then divide .2 by 4 to get a total of .05.

3. Take the answer to your last operation and multiply it by 100 to have your answer expressed as a percent. Again following the example, you would multiply .05 by 100 for a total of 5 percent. Therefore, the change in volume in the bottle is 5 percent.

References

• Elmhurst College Virtual Chembook: Which Is More Dense, Ice or Liquid Water?
• Maco State: How To Calculate Percent Change

Resources

• Princeton Wordnet Search: Definition Of Volume