How do you work out volume of a shape? - Answers

If the shape is a regular 3D object, such as a cylinder, cone, prism, etc., then you could measure some of the important parameters (e.g. edge lengths, circle radius, height, etc.) and substitute them into the volume formula for that shape.If the shape is irregular/complex, and you have a hollow physical model of it, you could simply fill the model with water, tip it out and take the volume that way (a tried and tested method). This will provide a reasonably good estimate of the volume (especially if the walls of the vessel are very thin, and therefore have negligible volume).If you don't have a model of the shape, you could try and "break" the shape into smaller, regular pieces and apply the first method outlined above.