CBSE Class 3 · Mathematics
Filling and Lifting
Official NCERT chapter from Maths Mela (book code cemm1). ExamMaster notes are original teaching at CBSE Class 3 depth.
This lesson follows the official chapter “Filling and Lifting” in Maths Mela. The words below are ExamMaster’s teaching, not a paste from the book. Use the NCERT chapter for the classroom sequence; use these notes to hold the idea without copying exercises or figures.
- CBSE Class 3
- Easy level
- 8 concepts
1How much you can drink is a capacity
Capacity is how much a cup or bottle can hold. It is not how tall the bottle looks.
A tall thin bottle can hold less than a short wide mug.
Figure. Capacity is how much the container holds. The short wide mug holds 5 cups; the tall thin bottle holds 3.
How it works
- Name the containerCup or bottle.
- Ask how much it holdsCapacity.
- Do not use height aloneShape can fool you.
2Small cups and big bottles need one repeating unit
Fill the bottle with the same small cup over and over. The count of fills is the capacity in that unit.
Mixing a cup and a spoon in one measure is two units.
Figure. Use the same small cup every time. Four fills means the bottle holds 4 cups.
How it works
- Pick one small unitThe cup.
- Fill, pour, fillNo leftover guessing.
- Count the fillsThat is the bottle in cups.
3A number without a unit is mute
“6” might be 6 cups or 6 bottles. Say 6 small cups.
Mute numbers cannot be compared.
Figure. A bare 6 could be cups or bottles. Write the unit or the number cannot be compared.
How it works
- Write the count6.
- Write the unitSmall cups.
- Speak bothNever 6 alone.
4Heavier and lighter when you lift
Lift two closed boxes. The one that needs more effort is heavier. That is a lift-test, not a size-test.
A bigger box can be lighter if it is emptier.
Figure. Lift-test, not size-test. The small box needs the longer lift arrow; it is heavier.
How it works
- Lift AFeel the effort.
- Lift BCompare effort.
- Name heavier or lighterNot larger.
5The same water changes shape, not amount
Pour one jug into a wide bowl. The water looks different. The amount is the same if nothing spilled.
A new shape is not a new capacity of the water itself.
Figure. The jug water and the bowl water have the same area. A new shape is not a new amount.
How it works
- Fix the waterOne jug, no spill.
- Change only the containerBowl instead of jug.
- Keep the amount claimSame water, new shape.
6Estimate, then pour and count
Guess “about 4 cups”, then pour. The pour-count checks the guess.
A guess you will not pour is not this chapter’s estimate.
Figure. Guess about 4 cups, then pour. The pour count is 5, so the guess is checked, not trusted alone.
How it works
- Guess in the unit you will pourAbout 4 cups.
- Pour and countExact fills.
- CompareClose or far.
Cups into a bottle
A bottle takes 5 full small cups with no leftover. What is the bottle’s capacity in that unit?
- Unit1 small cup
- Fills5
- Capacity5 small cups
Pro tip. Capacity is the fill-count of one repeating unit.
7Convert only when two units must meet
If a poster uses cups and you measured in spoons, you need a rate: how many spoons fill one cup. Without that rate, do not convert.
Inventing “2 spoons = 1 cup” without a pour is a guess.
Figure. Cups and spoons meet only after a pour rate. Do not invent 2 spoons = 1 cup.
How it works
- See two unitsCups and spoons.
- Find the rate by pouringSpoons per cup.
- Then rewriteOnly after the rate is measured.
8A poster that says “6 small cups” is a rate
“This bottle = 6 small cups” tells a capacity in a unit. It is a rate you can reuse for a second bottle of the same kind.
It is not a count of bottles.
Figure. The poster number 6 is cups per bottle — a reusable rate for the same kind of bottle, not a count of bottles.
How it works
- Read the unitSmall cups.
- Read the number6.
- Reuse only for the same bottle kindA different bottle needs a new pour.
A tall thin bottle versus a short wide mug: capacity is decided by
- How much each holds, not height alone
- Which looks taller
- Which is prettier
Height can fool you. Pour or lift-tests decide.
Notes
- The official chapter title is “Filling and Lifting”. Teach the school test for that title, not a contest shortcut.
- If a step needs a later class, stop. The next official chapter will pick it up.
Formulas
- Capacity = count of fills by one repeating unit.
- Same liquid, new container: shape may change; amount stays if nothing spills.
Recap
Hold these pegs from the official chapter “Filling and Lifting”. The wording is ExamMaster’s teaching, not a textbook recap.
- How much you can drink is a capacity
- Capacity is how much a cup or bottle can hold.
- Small cups and big bottles need one repeating unit
- Fill the bottle with the same small cup over and over.
- A number without a unit is mute
- “6” might be 6 cups or 6 bottles. Say 6 small cups.
- Heavier and lighter when you lift
- Lift two closed boxes. The one that needs more effort is heavier. That is a lift-test, not a size-test.
- The same water changes shape, not amount
- Pour one jug into a wide bowl. The water looks different. The amount is the same if nothing spilled.
- Estimate, then pour and count
- Guess “about 4 cups”, then pour. The pour-count checks the guess.
Practise Filling and Lifting
Reading is free and needs no account. Practice, mocks and progress live in the app.
- A 4-question practice set that ends the chapter
- 1 quick check with worked explanations
- Timed mocks scored with the real marking scheme
- Readiness tracked per topic, kept on your device