In this activity, we will learn how to calculate the volumes of cuboids and prisms.

Example 1

Find the volume of this cuboid.

The volume of a cuboid is found by multiplying length x width x height.

Volume = 7 x 5 x 2 = 70 cm³ 

Example 2

Note that in the shape below, the side labelled 6 is the length of the top side ( the bottom length would be 6 + 2 = 8)

This prism is made up of two cuboids with dimensions:

4 x 2 x 8         (volume = 64)

6 x 1 x 8         (volume = 48)

The volume of the prism can be found by adding together the volumes of the cuboids.

Volume of prism = 64 + 48 = 112 units³