Weight and Capacity | Maths Grade 5 CBSE

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Six ideas about weight & capacity

Weight tells how heavy; capacity tells how much it holds. Tap each term to see what it means, with a kitchen example.

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The three big ideas

Weight tells how heavy a thing is. Small, light things use grams (g); bigger, heavier things use kilograms (kg).
1 kg = 1000 g. A biscuit packet might be 200 g; a bag of rice might be 5 kg.
We weigh things on a balance or a weighing machine, comparing with standard weights.

Worked example. Three sugar packets weigh 250 g each. What is their total weight?

3 × 250 = 750 g — that is three-quarters of a kilogram (since 1 kg = 1000 g).

Capacity is how much liquid a container holds. Small amounts use millilitres (mL); bigger amounts use litres (L).
1 L = 1000 mL. A spoon of syrup is about 5 mL; a water bottle is about 1 L; a bucket may hold many litres.
We measure liquids with a measuring jug or marked cups.

Worked example. A 1-litre bottle of juice fills glasses of 250 mL each. How many glasses?

1 L = 1000 mL, and 1000 ÷ 250 = 4 glasses.

Pick the unit that fits the size: g and kg for heavy or light solids; mL and L for liquids.
To change units, remember ×1000 (bigger → smaller) and ÷1000 (smaller → bigger).
Add or compare only when units match — turn everything into grams, or into millilitres, first.

Worked example. A jug has 1 L 500 mL of water. You pour out 300 mL. How much is left?

1 L 500 mL = 1500 mL. Take away 300 mL: 1500 − 300 = 1200 mL = 1 L 200 mL.

Common mix-up: mixing up weight and capacity. kg and g tell how heavy; L and mL tell how much liquid. And 1 kg is not always 1 L — different liquids weigh different amounts.

Where you’ll meet it

Weighing & measuring every day

At the grocery shop

Dal, sugar and vegetables are weighed in grams and kilograms on a balance. Knowing 1 kg = 1000 g helps you check that 500 g really is half a kilo.

In the kitchen

Recipes use grams of flour and millilitres of milk. Measuring carefully makes the dish turn out just right.

Medicine & water

Syrup doses are in millilitres, and we drink water by the litre. The right unit keeps everyone safe and healthy.

Check yourself

Quick quiz

Ten friendly questions — mostly multiple-choice with one assertion–reason — to check that you can use weight and capacity, not just remember them.

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