How do you calculate the volume of a cube with side length 4 cm?

To calculate the volume of a cube with side length 4 cm, use the formula \( V = a^3 \).

The volume of a cube is found by raising the length of one of its sides to the power of three. This is because a cube has equal sides, and its volume is the product of its length, width, and height, which are all the same. In this case, the side length \( a \) is 4 cm.

So, you calculate the volume by multiplying 4 cm by itself three times:
\[ V = 4 \, \text{cm} \times 4 \, \text{cm} \times 4 \, \text{cm} \]

This can be written as:
\[ V = 4^3 \, \text{cm}^3 \]

When you calculate \( 4^3 \), you get:
\[ 4 \times 4 = 16 \]
\[ 16 \times 4 = 64 \]

Therefore, the volume of the cube is:
\[ V = 64 \, \text{cm}^3 \]

This means that the cube can hold 64 cubic centimetres of space. Remember, the unit for volume is always cubic units, in this case, cubic centimetres (cm³), because volume measures three-dimensional space.