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NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 6 .3.6 Space and volume — In-text Questions

Book page 1146 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Why is the level of water different in the two tumblers?
Answer

Because the two students poured different amounts of water into them.

Both tumblers are identical, so both have the same capacity. One got half-filled (Fig. 6.8a) and the other almost completely filled (Fig. 6.8b). The different levels tell us that the amount of water in each tumbler is different.

Water in the first tumbler occupies less space
→ its volume is less
Water in the second tumbler occupies more space
→ its volume is more
The space occupied by water represents its volume.
Why the tumbler being identical matters: if one tumbler were wide and the other narrow, the same amount of water would stand at different heights and the comparison would be meaningless. Because the tumblers are the same, the height of the water is a fair measure of its volume.
Did you know? Volume is measured in litre (L) and millilitre (mL). That is what the ‘net quantity’ printed on a bottle means — 1 L, 500 mL, 200 mL. Milk pouches and drinking-water bottles marked 500 mL both hold the same volume.
Q2.
Why was I not able to transfer water from the jug into an empty water bottle completely?
Answer

Because the jug held more water than the bottle could hold — the volume of water in the jug was greater than the capacity of the bottle.

An “empty” bottle is not really empty either — it is full of air. As water goes in, the air must come out through the same narrow mouth. That is why the water gurgles, splashes back and goes in slowly.

Volume of water in jug > volume the bottle can hold
→ the extra water has no space left to occupy
→ it overflows and is left behind in the jug
The idea behind it: matter occupies space, and two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time. That is why the students could not sit when their bags were on the seats — the bags had already occupied that space. A 500 mL bottle can take exactly 500 mL of water and not a drop more.
Try This: Push an inverted empty glass straight down into a bucket of water. The water does not fill it — the air trapped inside is occupying that space, which proves air is matter too.
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