How many Olympic swimming pools is that?
Reservoirs, oil spills and floodwater are always quoted in Olympic swimming pools. One holds 2 500 cubic metres.
40 × Olympic swimming pool
100,000 m³ ÷ 2,500 m³ = 40 pools.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| tanker truck | 30 m³ | 3,333× | |
| shipping container | 33.2 m³ | 3,012× | |
| backyard pool | 50 m³ | 2,000× | |
| Olympic swimming pool | 2,500 m³ | 40× | 50 × 25 × 2 m |
| Sydney Harbour | 500,000,000 m³ | 1/5,000 | The Australian unit for the same job |
Worth knowing
- An Olympic pool is 2 500 m³ at competition depth of 2 m. Sydney Harbour is 500 gigalitres — 200 000 pools.
- The Three Gorges reservoir holds 39.3 km³, which is 15.7 million Olympic pools.
Frequently asked
How much water is in an Olympic swimming pool?
2 500 m³, or 2.5 million litres, at the traditional 2 m depth. World Aquatics championship pools are 3 m deep, holding 3.75 million litres.
Why are volumes reported in swimming pools?
Because a cubic kilometre is unimaginable and a pool is not. It is the volume equivalent of measuring area in football pitches.