Definition:Metric System/Volume/Litre

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Definition

The litre is a unit of volume based on, but not actually part of, the SI system.


Conversion Factors

\(\ds \) \(\) \(\ds 1\) litre
\(\ds \) \(=\) \(\ds 1000\) millilitres
\(\ds \) \(=\) \(\ds 1000\) cubic centimetres
\(\ds \) \(=\) \(\ds 10^{-3}\) cubic metres
\(\ds \) \(\approx\) \(\ds 1 \cdotp 76\) pints


Symbol

$\mathrm l$ or $\mathrm L$

The symbol for the litre is $\mathrm l$ or $\mathrm L$.


The $\LaTeX$ code for \(\mathrm l\) is \mathrm l .

The $\LaTeX$ code for \(\mathrm L\) is \mathrm L .


Historical Note

The litre was originally defined as the volume of:

$1 \, \mathrm {kg}$ (kilogram) of water
at $4 \cels$ (degrees Celsius)
at standard atmospheric pressure: $760 \, \mathrm {mm}$ (millimetres) of mercury.

Hence, by this definition, the litre was equivalent to $1000 \cdotp 028 \, \mathrm {cm}^3$.


Linguistic Note

The spelling litre is the one adopted by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

Liter is the variant used in standard American English.

While $\mathsf{Pr} \infty \mathsf{fWiki}$ attempts in general to standardise on American English, the name of this unit is one place where a deliberate decision has been made to use the international spelling, in order to provide consistency with the British spelling of metre.


Sources

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