Converting Cubic Inches to Liters

This example problem demonstrates how to convert cubic inches to liters.

Problem:

Many small car engines have an engine dispacement of 151 cubic inches. What is this volume in liters?

Solution:

1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

First, convert to cubic measurements

(1 inch)³ = (2.54 cm)³
1 in³ = 16.387 cm³

Second, convert to cubic centimeters

Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be cancelled out. In this case, we want cubic centimeters to tbe the remaining unit.

volume in cm³ = (volume in in³) x (16.387 cm³/1 in³)
volume in cm³ = (151 x 16.387) cm³
volume in cm³ = 2474.44 cm³

Third, convert to liters

1 L = 1000 cm³ Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be cancelled out. In this case, we want liters to tbe the remaining unit.

volume in L = (volume in cm³) x (1 L/1000 cm³)
volume in L = (2474.44/1000) L
volume in L = 2.474 L

Answer:

A 151 cubic inch engine dispaces 2.474 liters of space.