Fish tank volume

Fish tank volume

Pencil and paper
Overview
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
This task is about calculating the volume of fish tanks given their dimensions.


 
a) Which fish tank(s) would hold 15 litres of water without the tank overflowing?
 
  (A)
(B)
(C)
(D)		 Tank R
Tank S
Tanks Q and R
Tanks R and S
 
b) What is the volume of tank Q in cm³?
 
  (A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)		 9.2 cm³
92 cm³
1440 cm³
14,400 cm³
None of these. The answer is __________ cm³
 
c) What is the volume of Tank P in cm³?
 
  (A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)		 12 cm³
70 cm³
1,200 cm³
7,000 cm³
None of these. The answer is __________ cm³
Level:
5
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Measurement
Keywords: 
volume, cuboids, capacity
Description of task: 
Students answer multiple-choice questions about volume of fish tanks given their dimensions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Measurement sense, sets 7-8
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
   

Y9 (07/1997)

Y10 (07/1997)
a) D moderate moderate
b) D moderate moderate
c) E (12,000 cm3) very difficult difficult
Diagnostic and formative information: 
  Common errors Likely reason
a)
b)		 C (1200 cm3)
B (1440 cm3)		  
a)
b)		 C (70)
B (92)		 Adds dimensions rather than multiplies them.