What does volume measure?

• A. It is the mass of an object.
• B. It is the space an object or substance takes up.
• C. It is the density of a substance.
• D. It is the temperature of a substance.

Answer: (B)

Volume measures the space an object or substance takes up. It’s about how much space something occupies, not how heavy it is. For example, a bottle labeled 2 liters tells you the amount of space inside it that anything poured into it can occupy, regardless of the bottle’s mass. Commonly used units are liters and milliliters for liquids, and cubic centimeters or cubic meters for solids.

Mass is how much matter is present, measured in grams or kilograms. Temperature describes how hot or cold something is. Density ties the two together—it's mass per unit volume (how much matter fits in a given space). So knowing the volume helps you understand how compact or spread out the material is when you pair it with mass.