There is more than one way to calculate volume. This Instructable will show you how to calculate volume using water.

I selected this empty can because I wanted to know its internal volume.

First, I dried the can out with a towel and made sure that it was clean.

Step 1: Place Empty Can on Scale.

Next , I placed the can on a scale and changed the units to grams.

This can happens to have a mass of 48 grams.

Step 2: Tare Out the Empty Can.

My scale has a nifty feature that lets you tare out the mass of the scale.

I pressed the tare button and the scale resets back to zero with the can still resting on the scale.

Step 3: Fill With Water.

Now, I filled the can with water up to the brim. I made sure that I did not spill any.

The mass of the water in the can is 454 grams. This is the true mass of the water because the mass of the can was already accounted for.

Ok, here is how I can figure out the volume of the can. The density of water is 0.9982 g/cc at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

If we take the weight of the water, 454 grams and divide this by the density of the water at 68F we will be left with the volume of the water.

454 grams / 0.9982 g/cc = 454.8 cubic centimeters of water.

This turns out to be 15.38 ounces of volume for this particular can.

Using this same technique the volume of a sphere or any enclosed object can be calculated.

That is how you can find the volume of a cylinder using water. I hope you enjoyed this Instructable.

While your at it check out my other Instructables:

https://www.instructables.com/id/Digital-Measurment-Estimator/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Hanging-around/
https://www.instructables.com/id/476_better_than_a_Bank/