Filling and Lifting | Maths Grade 3 CBSE

Play with it

Six ideas about filling & weighing

How much it holds and how heavy it is. Tap each term to see what it means, with an example from the kitchen.

Explore · Capacity & weighttap a term

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The three big ideas

Capacity is how much a container can hold. We measure liquids in litres (L).
A water bottle often holds 1 litre; a bucket holds many litres; a spoon holds much less.
To compare, fill both with the same cup and count the cups — more cups means more capacity.

Worked example. Two 1-litre bottles fill a jug completely. How much does the jug hold?

1 + 1 = 2 litres.

Weight tells how heavy a thing is. We measure it in kilograms (kg); lighter things in grams (g).
A weighing balance has two pans. The heavier side goes down, the lighter side rises up.
When both pans are level, the two sides weigh the same.

Worked example. On a balance, a melon pulls its pan down against a papaya. Which is heavier?

The pan that goes down holds the heavier fruit — the melon.

To compare, measure both in the same unit, then subtract to find how much more.
Estimate first with a smart guess: an apple is about 100 g, a school bag a few kg, a bucket several litres.
Size does not always mean heavy — a big balloon can be lighter than a small stone, because it is full of light air.

Worked example. A melon is 3 kg, a papaya is 2 kg. How much heavier is the melon?

3 − 2 = 1 kg heavier.

Common mix-up: capacity (litres) is how much it holds; weight (kilograms) is how heavy it is. They are different — do not mix the units.

Where you’ll meet it

Filling & weighing around you

Buying milk & oil

Milk and cooking oil are sold in litres, so we ask for 1 litre or half a litre at the shop.

Vegetable shopping

Vegetables and fruits are weighed in kilograms on a balance before we pay for them.

Cooking with Amma

Recipes use litres of water and grams of spice — measuring carefully makes the food just right.

Check yourself

Quick quiz

Nine friendly questions — mostly multiple-choice with one assertion–reason — to check that you can use capacity and weight, not just name the units.

Score 0/9