For measuring small amounts of liquid that are safe out in the open, such as cooking ingredients, use a measuring cup. Measuring cups are typically 1 cup in size, but have labels for smaller units of measurement. The cup is transparent so the liquid in the measuring cup will line up with the measurements on the outside. Graduated cylinders are thin, tall liquid volume measurement instruments typically used in scientific experiments. The most common unit of liquid volume measurement in a graduated cylinder is milliliters.
For small objects with straight edges, like cubes, you can use a ruler, yard stick or measuring tape and calculate the area yourself. The formula for area is base times width times height. For example, if you have a container that is 6 inches long, 5 inches wide and 4 inches high, calculate the volume by multiplying the numbers 6, 5, and 4. Six times 5 is 30, and 30 times four is 120. Therefore, your container has 120 inches of volume.
To measure the volume of a sphere, the formula is 4/3 times pi times the radius of the cylinder cubed. For example, if you want to measure the volume of a ball, you must first measure the radius. Use a ruler to measure from the center point on the circumference of the ball to an imaginary straight line extending from the end of the ball's edge. Cube this number by multiplying the number by itself twice. If the radius is 2 inches, for example, the cube is 2 times 2 times 2, which is 8. Multiply this by pi, which is 3.14; 3.14 times eight is 25.12. Multiply this by 4/3; 25.12 times 4/3 is 39.49333.
Cylinders can also be measured in volume by using a ruler. The formula for measuring the volume of a cylinder is pi times the radius of the cylinder squared times the height of the cylinder. Find the center point of the base of the cylinder and measure the distance between that point and any edge of the base. Use a 2-inch radius as the example again. Square this number. Two times 2 is 4, so the radius squared is 4. Measure the height of the cylinder. Suppose the height is 10 inches. Multiply the height, 10, by the radius squared, 4. Ten times 4 is 40. Multiply 40, now, by pi, which is 3.14. Forty times 3.14 is 125.6, which is the volume of this cylinder.
Most every shape of object can be measured by using a ruler. You can calculate specific measurements with the ruler and then calculate the volume on your own. To measure a pyramid, multiply the base of the pyramid times its height. Then divide that number by 3. For a cone, measure the radius of the base of the cone and square it. Multiply this number by the cone's height. Then multiply that number by pi, which is 3.14. Divide that number by 3 for the area of the cone. There are other irregular shapes that exist besides the aforementioned, and they all have their own formulas.