Space Station Cargo: One Cube, One Cubic Unit

Learn why a cube with 1-unit edges has a volume of exactly 1 cubic unit.

Meet the cargo cube

Every cargo cube on the space station is a unit cube. Each edge is 1 foot long.

This is one cargo cube. In the picture, 1 unit means 1 foot.

Commander Ruiz writes the volume on the side of each cargo cube. What should she write?

A. 1 footB. 6 square feetC. 1 cubic footD. 1 square foot

Circle every sentence that is true about one cargo cube.

Chef Bao has a block of space cheese shaped like a unit cube. Each edge is 1 inch long. He cuts the block into 2 equal halves.

What was the volume of the whole block before Chef Bao cut it? cubic inch
What is the volume of each half? cubic inch

Unit cube or not?

A unit cube is a cube with every edge exactly 1 unit long. Check every edge before you decide.

Pilot Kofi finds this storage rod. He says the whole rod is a unit cube because it is 1 unit wide and 1 unit tall.Is Kofi right?

A. Yes, because two of its edges are 1 unit long.B. No. The rod is 3 units long, so not every edge is 1 unit. Its volume is 3 cubic units.C. No, because its volume is 5 cubic units.D. Yes, because it is made of unit cubes.

Sort each box on the space station. Is it a unit cube?

The tool chest is a cube with 2-foot edges. Lena fills the bottom layer with cargo cubes. Each cargo cube is 1 cubic foot.

How many cargo cubes are in the bottom layer?
How many cargo cubes will fill the whole tool chest?
What is the volume of the tool chest? cubic feet

Which of these unit cubes has the greatest volume?

A. a unit cube with 1-centimeter edgesB. They all have the same volume, because each one is a unit cube.C. a unit cube with 1-inch edgesD. a unit cube with 1-meter edges

Think like an astronaut

Use what you know about unit cubes and cubic units.

Match each unit cube to its volume. One volume is not used.

Dr. Patel has two unit cubes. Each one has 1-inch edges. One cube is made of foam, and the other is made of metal. The metal cube is much heavier. Which sentence is true?

A. They have the same volume. Each cube takes up 1 cubic inch of space.B. The metal cube has the greater volume, because it is heavier.C. The foam cube has the greater volume, because foam is puffy.

10.

The space station's drinking water tank is shaped like a cube. Its volume is exactly 1 cubic meter.

How long is each edge of the water tank? meter
What is the area of the bottom face of the tank? square meter

11.

Pilot Mei says a cargo cube has a volume of 3 cubic feet because 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Is Mei right? Explain.