Converting Cubic Meters to Liters (m3 to L)

Cubic meters and liters are two common metric units of volume. There are three typical ways to convert cubic meters (m3) to liters (L). The first method walks through all the math and helps explain why the other two work; the second completes an immediate volume conversion in a single step; the third method demonstrates just how many places to move the decimal point (no math required). Key Takeaways: Convert Cubic Meters to Liters Cubic meters and liters are two common metric units of volume.1 cubic meter is 1000 liters.The simplest way to convert cubic meters to liters is to move the decimal point three places to the right. In other words, multiply a value in cubic meters by 1000 to get the answer in liters.To convert liters to cubic meters, you simply need to move the decimal point three places to the left. In other words, divide a value in liters by 1000 to get an answer in cubic meters. Meters to Liters Problem Problem: How many liters are equal to 0.25 cubic meters? Method 1: How to Solve m3 to L The explanatory way to solve the problem is to first convert cubic meters into cubic centimeters. While you might think this is just a simple matter of moving the decimal point of 2 places, remember this is volume (three dimensions), not distance (two). Conversion factors needed 1 cm3 1 mL100 cm 1 m1000 mL 1 L First, convert cubic meters to cubic centimeters. 100 cm 1 m(100 cm)3 (1 m)31,000,000 cm3 1 m3since 1 cm3 1 mL1 m3 1,000,000 mL or 106 mL Next, set up the conversion so the desired unit will be cancelled out. In this case, we want L to be the remaining unit. volume in L (volume in m3) x (106 mL/1 m3) x (1 L/1000 mL)volume in L (0.25 m3) x (106 mL/1 m3) x (1 L/1000 mL)volume in L (0.25 m3) x (103 L/1 m3)volume in L 250 L Answer: There are 250 L in 0.25 cubic meters. Method 2: The Simplest Way The previous solution explains how expanding a unit to three dimensions affects the conversion factor. Once you know how it works, the simplest way to convert between cubic meters and liters is simply to multiply cubic meters by 1000 to get the answer in liters. 1 cubic meter 1000 liters so to solve for 0.25 cubic meters: Answer in Liters 0.25 m3 * (1000 L/m3)Answer in Liters 250 L Method 3: The No-Math Way Or, easiest of all, you could just move the decimal point 3 places to the right. If youre going the other way (liters to cubic meters), then you simply move the decimal point three places to the left. You dont have to break out the calculator or anything. Check Your Work There are two quick checks you can do to make sure you performed the calculation correctly. The value of the digits should be the same. If you see any numbers that werent there before (except zeros), you did the conversion incorrectly.1 liter 1 cubic meter. Remember, it takes a lot of liters to fill a cubic meter (a thousand). A liter is like a bottle of soda or milk, while a cubic meter is if you take a meter stick (approximately the same distance as how far apart your hands are when you stretch your arms out to your sides) and put it into three dimensions. When converting cubic meters to liters, the liters value should be a thousand times more. Its a good idea to report your answer using the same number of significant figures. In fact, not using the right number of significant digits may be considered a wrong answer!