Question

What is one way you can measure the volume of a bathroom sink?

Answer 1

Weigh the amount of water that fills the sink, then divide this mass by the density of water.

Explanation:

Not every sink is rectangular in shape, so it can be hard to find a volume formula that uses the dimensions you can measure. However, there is an easy way that works with every sink.

1. Find a container that is bigger than the sink and measure its empty mass in kilograms.
2. Fill the sink to the top with water.
3. Siphon or scoop this water out from the sink into the container.
4. Weigh the container with the water in it, again in kilograms.
5. Subtract the container's empty mass from the mass in the previous step. This difference is the mass of the water alone.
6. Since density is mass over volume `(rho=m/v)` and water's density is approximately `1000" kg"//"m"^3`, we can convert the water's mass to a volume by dividing `"mass"/"density"`:

`rho=m/v" "<=>" "v=m/rho=m/(1000 " kg"//"m"^3)`

This will give you a volume for the sink in cubic metres.