Misconception 1 : Mathematical Language – confusion between liquid volume and capacity

Ø  Ask students to tell their partner what they understand by the terms ‘volume’ and ‘capacity’ and also what they think the experiences might be e.g volume:loudness. Use the coloured liquid in a glass of the pictures of the wine below to support discussion.

Ø  Only containers have capacity. The capacity of a container is the maximum volume of liquid that it can hold. Hence, capacity is measured in the same units as liquid volume. Thus, a wine glass may have a capacity to hold 250 ml, but the liquid volume of the wine may only be 150 ml.