tank

Everyday

1. A tank is a big container that holds water, fuel, oil or gas. tree →
2. A fish tank is a glass box for fish. tree →
3. A tank is also a big heavy army vehicle with a gun, that moves on metal tracks. tree →
4. A think tank is a group of people who think up ideas. tree →
5. A tank can also be a pool of water in a hot country, where people and animals bathe and drink. tree →

In the lessons

In school maths: a container with a volume or capacity — litres in a tank, filling or emptying at a rate; fish in a tank; volume of a box-shaped tank = length × width × height. In science: a water tank, a fuel tank; capacity and volume. In everyday life: filling the car's tank with petrol, a hot-water tank, a tank top (a shirt with no sleeves). Phrases: «a full tank», «fish tank», «petrol tank», «water tank».

Examples

• A tank holds 200 litres of water. tree →
• A pipe fills the tank with 10 litres a minute. tree →
• There are 15 fish in the tank. tree →
• The car's tank holds 40 litres of petrol. tree →
• We clean the fish tank every week. tree →
• The tank is half full. tree →
• Farms in Australia collect rainwater in tanks. tree →
• The old army tank is in the museum. tree →
• He bathed himself and his horse in the tank, and then sat down under a tree. tree →

Note

Countable: «a tank». Maths: gives a capacity or holds things counted. Trap: «how long to fill» is capacity ÷ rate; when water also flows out, use the difference of the rates; «half full» means half the capacity.