The basic unit of volume in the metric system is the liter (symbol is L or 1). The most common derived unit used for small amounts of liquids is the milliliter (mL) (10-3 or 1/1000 of a liter). A typical individual bottle of spring water might hold 500 mL (half a liter) of liquid. The volume of a milliliter is equal to the volume of a cube 1 centimeter per side. Sometimes these are expressed as cc (cubic centimeters) such as on the side of a medical syringe. Another even smaller unit often used in the medical field is the microliter (L) (106 or 1/1,000,000 of a liter). For example, you might expect to find 5 million red blood cells in a microliter of your blood. 1. Volume measurements can be related to those of length. Use a metric ruler to measure a wooden block. Record the measurements below. Length = cm depth (height) = The volume (or space) occupied by the wooden block can be expressed in cubic centimeters (cc or cm) by multiplying L x W x H. Use your measurements to calculate this for the wooden block: cm width= cm For the purposes of this activity, understand that 1 cm3= 1 mL, so the wooden block has a volume of mL.