You can measure the contents of a bottle using a few different methods.
Measuring Liquid Volume in a Bottle
Displacement Method
If the bottle is transparent, you can use the displacement method, inspired by Archimedes' principle, to measure the liquid volume quite accurately.
Here's how it works:
- Submerge the bottle: Carefully immerse the bottle into a larger container of water, making sure the water level reaches the same height as the liquid level inside the bottle.
- Measure the displacement: Observe how much the water level rises. The volume of water displaced is equal to the volume of the submerged portion of the bottle, including the liquid inside.
- Account for the bottle's walls: This displacement also includes the volume of the bottle itself. To get an accurate liquid volume measurement, you will need to estimate the thickness and shape of the bottle’s walls and subtract that volume from the total displacement volume. This will give you the liquid's volume.
This process takes into account the volume of the bottle walls, and you will need to make an informed guess to remove the bottle's wall thickness from the result.
Summary of Measurement Method
| Method | Description | Accuracy | Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Displacement (water) | Submerge the bottle in water up to the liquid level and measure the displaced water. | High, with estimate required for wall volume | Bottle must be clear to observe internal liquid level. Requires estimating bottle wall volume. |
