Measure and compare capacity: explanation and practice problems
23 October 2026
Capacity word problems often use litres and millilitres. Children need to spot when to change between these units. This helps them work out how much liquid fits into different containers.
Worked example
A bottle holds 2 litres of juice. A glass holds 250 millilitres. How many glasses can be filled from the bottle?
Step 1: Change litres to millilitres. 1 litre = 1000 millilitres, so 2 litres = 2000 millilitres.
Step 2: Divide the total millilitres by the amount in one glass. 2000 ÷ 250 = 8.
The answer is 8 glasses.
After seeing this example, your child will recognise when to convert units and divide to find how many times one amount fits into another. They can now try a similar capacity word problem for practice.
