Grade 6 · Volume
Art installation: Stack volume layers
Art installation investigation: stack volume layers. Change the quantities, follow the motion, and explain the result using the displayed mathematical relationship.
Predict what will happen, press Play, then pause and explain what changed. Every control also works without playback.
Watch the relationship
PausedHD animation studio
From experiment to screen.
Present a crisp Canvas scene, save a full-HD image, or capture your model as a silent video.
Understand what you are seeing
The idea behind the motion.
A rectangular prism can be built from horizontal layers of equal base area. Multiplying length by width gives one layer's area; multiplying by height accumulates the entire volume. A change in all three lengths multiplies volume by the cube of the length scale. This investigation begins with length = 4; width = 3; height = 2. Treat the named setting as a constructed classroom model, then explain which relationships would still hold if its numbers changed.
A relationship to keep
V = length × width × height
Read the symbols alongside the explanation. A diagram shows the relationship; the assumptions tell you when it applies.
- STEP 1
Represent the given quantities
Measure the rectangular base with two independent lengths; its area is their product.
- STEP 2
Follow the changing model
Playback raises the filled height from zero to the full prism height, so the filled volume increases linearly.
- STEP 3
Check and explain the relationship
Multiply the three selected lengths and label the result in cubic units. Compare a doubled edge with doubling all edges.
Your turn to explain
Make a prediction. Test your reasoning.
Art installation: Find the volume of a 4 by 3 by 2 rectangular prism.
Use the values specified in the question. Reset restores the initial values for this investigation.
Compare your explanation
24 cubic units. Length×width×height is 4×3×2.
Work through a full lesson
Connect the animation to a worked example and practice questions.