Litre explained to kids

A litre (spelled liter in American English) is a unit of volume. It is equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (cm3), 1/1,000 cubic meters (m3), or about 0.0353146667 cubic feet (ft3). The litre is an SI (metric) unit, which means that it is officially recognized in the International System of Units. A litre is very similar in volume to a quart, which is a unit used in the United States. In fact, a litre is exactly equal to 1.0567 quarts. The litre is often used to measure liquids, especially fuel for vehicles. For example, a car with a fuel tank that holds 50 litres can travel about 800 kilometers (km) on a single tank of gasoline. Litres are also used to measure the capacity of some containers, such as backpacks and suitcases. For example, a backpack that has a capacity of 30 litres can hold about 6.6 gallons (25 litres) of liquid. Litres are sometimes used to measure the amount of electricity used. For example, 1,000 watts (1 kW) of power used for one hour is equal to one kilowatt-hour (kWh), or 3.6 megajoules (MJ).