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Litre in Maths

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Litre is one of the units of measurement of volume, where volume is a mathematical quantity that is used for measuring the amount of three-dimensional space that is occupied. We know that solids are generally measured in grams, kilograms, pounds, etc., whereas fluids are measured using volume. 

In this article, we will learn about the definition of a litre and its relationship with other metric and non-metric units.

What is Litre?

A litre is a metric unit of volume that usually measures fluids and solids that can be poured. It is symbolically expressed by “L” and is usually used for measuring the objects by the capacity or size of the container. Capacity is defined as the total amount of liquid that can be held by the container. A litre is not an SI unit, but it is accepted for use with the International System of Units (SI).

The following image shows various measures of volume expressed in litres and millilitres.

What is Litre?

 

Definition of Litre

A litre is a unit of volume in the metric system that is used for measuring the capacity of liquids.  A litre is defined as the volume of a cube with edges having a length of 10 centimetres. One litre is equal to 1000 millilitres.

What can we Measure using unit Litre?

In general, solids are measured in terms of kilograms, grams, pounds, etc., while we use volume to measure fluids or liquids. So, we measure liquids like water, milk, petrol, kerosene, vegetable oils, etc. in terms of volume, which is measured in terms of litres.

Why do we Use Litre to measure liquid?

For example, let us consider two containers A and B of different shapes and sizes. Now, let us fill the two containers with milk. Can we tell which container has more milk by looking at both of them? No, right? We cannot predict whether container A or container B has more milk in it just by glancing at them. We need to measure the milk in both containers and express them in the same unit, and the standard unit used to measure fluids is the litre. So, liquids like water, milk, petrol, kerosene, vegetable oils, etc. are measured in terms of litres, centilitres, millilitres, kiloliters, megaliters, etc.

Conversion Table

The following table gives the relationship between a litre and other metric and non-metric units.

1 litre 1000 millilitres (mL) 
1 litre  100 centilitres (cL)
1 litre 10 decilitres (dL)
1 kilolitre (kL) 1000 litres
1 cubic meter (cm3)  1000 litres
1 cubic decimeter (dm3) 1 litre
1 megalitre (ML) 106 litres
1 gigalitre (GL) 109 litres
1 litre 0.2199 imperial gallons 
1 litre 0.2641 US gallons

What is a Millilitre?

A millilitre is a smaller unit of volume in the metric system that is used to measure the capacity of a liquid. It is equal to one-thousandth of a litre and is used for measuring smaller quantities of liquid. It is expressed as mL.

1 millilitre (1 mL) = (1/1000) L

Litres to Millilitres Conversion

The value of 1 litre is equal to 1000 millilitres (mL). So, to convert millilitres to litres, we need to divide the given value by 1000.

1 millilitre (mL) = (1/1000) litres

n × 1 millilitre (mL) = (n/1000) litres

Example: Convert 1230 millilitres into litres.

Solution:

We know that,

1 mL = 1/1000 mL

Hence,

1230 mL = 1230/1000

1230 mL= 1.230 L

Therefore, 1230 millilitres are approximately equal to 1.230 L.

Solved Examples on Litre Conversion

Example 1: Jack poured 7 imperial gallons of water into a cylindrical container. Find out how many litres of water the container can hold.

Solution:

Given,

Cylindrical Container can hold 5 Imperial Gallons of water

We know that, 

1 Imperial Gallon = 4.5461 L

7 × 4.5461 L = 31.8226 L

So, the cylindrical container can approximately hold 31.8226 litres of water.

Example 2: Tina bought 2500 mL of milk and used 1 L of it. How many litres of milk is left with her?

Solution:

Given,

Quantity of Milk bought by Tina = 2500 mL

We know that,

1 L = 1000 mL

So, the quantity of milk bought by Tina = 2500/1000 = 2.5 L

Quantity of milk used by Tina = 1 L

Now, the quantity of milk left = 2.5 L – 1 L = 1.5 L

Therefore, the quantity of milk left with Tina is 1.5 litres.

Example 3: Convert 7655 millilitres into litres.

Solution:

We know that,

1 mL = 1/1000 mL

Hence,

7655 mL = 7655/1000

7655 mL= 7.655 L

Therefore, 7655 millilitres are approximately equal to 7.655 L.

Example 4: Convert 6.32 cubic meters to litres.

Solution:

We know that,

1 cubic meter = 1000 L

Hence,

6.32 cubic meters = 6.32 × 1000 L

6.32 m3 = 6320 L

Therefore, 6.32 cubic meters is approximately equal to 6320 L.

Example 5: Mary has five glass jars that can hold 750 mL. Calculate the total amount of oil those five glass jars can hold in litres.

Solution:

Number of jars to be filled with oil = 5

Amount of oil each jar can hold = 750 mL

So, the total amount of oil held by five glass jars = 5 × 750 mL = 3,750 mL

We know that,

1 mL = 1/1000 mL

Hence,

3,750 mL = 3,750/1000 = 3.75 L

Therefore, the total amount of oil those five glass jars can hold is 3.75 L.

FAQs on Litre

Q1: What is a litre?

Answer:

A litre is a metric unit of volume that usually measures fluids and solids that can be poured.

Q2: How to convert millilitres to litres?

Answer:

The value of 1 litre is equal to 1000 millilitres (mL). So, to convert millilitres to litres, we need to divide the given value by 1000.

Example: Convert 340 millilitres to litres.

1 millilitre = 10-3 litres

340 millilitres = 340/1000 = 0.34 L.

Q3: What is the relationship between a litre and US gallons?

Answer:

The value of 1 litre is equal to 0.2641 US gallons.

1 L = 0.2641 US gallons

n × 1 L = n × 0.2641 US gallons

Q4: How much water can 1 cubic decimeter hold?

Answer:

1 cubic decimeter is the volume of a cube with edges having a length of 10 centimetres (10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm). It can hold 1 litre of water.

Q5: What is a millilitre?

Answer:

A millilitre is a smaller unit of volume in the metric system that is used to measure the capacity of a liquid.

1 millilitre (1 mL) = (1/1000) L

Q6: How to convert megalitres to litres?

Answer:

The value of 1 megalitre is equal to 106 litres (L). So, to convert megalitres to litres, we need to multiply the given value by 106.

 1 megalitre (ML) = 106 litres

n × 1 megalitre (ML) = n × 106 litres



Last Updated : 17 Feb, 2024
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