Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: All of the above
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Volume is a fundamental physical quantity that describes how much three dimensional space an object or substance occupies. Different measurement systems use different units for volume depending on the context. In school mathematics, science and aptitude tests, learners often encounter millilitres, cubic centimetres and cubic metres, and it is important to recognize that all of these can represent volume when used correctly.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Volume in the International System of Units (SI) is based on length. The derived SI unit of volume is the cubic metre (m^3), which is defined as the volume of a cube with side 1 metre. Smaller units are derived by scaling down the basic unit or by using related practical units for liquids:
1 m^3 = 10^6 cm^3.
1 litre = 1000 cm^3.
1 millilitre = 1 cm^3.
Thus, millilitres, cubic centimetres and cubic metres all describe volume; they simply operate at different scales.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider cubic metre (m^3).
It measures large volumes, for example the interior of a room or a tank. It is a standard SI unit of volume.
Step 2: Consider cubic centimetre (cm^3).
It measures smaller volumes and is suitable for laboratory measurements or small solid objects. It is directly derived from the SI base unit of length, the centimetre.
Step 3: Consider millilitre (mL).
It is a commonly used unit for liquid volume. By definition, 1 mL equals 1 cm^3, so it is also a volume unit even though it is often used in daily life rather than pure geometry.
Step 4: Because each of the three units is a way of measuring volume, the correct choice is to select all of them.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify the relationships numerically. If we pour 1 mL of water into a small rectangular container with internal dimensions 1 cm by 1 cm by 1 cm, it fills the container exactly. That shows that 1 mL equals 1 cm^3. If we pour 1000 litres (1,000,000 mL) of water into a cubic tank of side 1 m, it fills the 1 m^3 tank entirely. These real world interpretations confirm that millilitres, cubic centimetres and cubic metres are all legitimate volume units.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Choosing only millilitre or only cubic centimetre or only cubic metre ignores the fact that volume can be expressed in many consistent units connected by conversion factors. The option that says none of these is clearly incorrect, because all three are well known and widely used volume units in science and everyday life.
Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse area and volume units, for example mixing up cm^2 with cm^3 or treating millilitres as if they were units of mass. Another common confusion is between litre and millilitre or between cubic metre and square metre. Remember that volume units always involve three dimensions and therefore carry a power of 3, and that liquid measurement units like litre and millilitre have exact relationships with cubic centimetres and cubic metres.
Final Answer:
All three listed units represent volume, so the correct choice is All of the above.
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