How To Read Graduated Cylinder

Quantitative Vs. Qualitative Information

Collecting data is an important office of any scientific investigation. There are two types of data. Quantitative data involves numbers, such as "the length of the specimen is 4 centimeters." Qualitative data involves descriptions, characteristics, or features, such as "bubbling formed when the 2 liquids were combined."

The nautical chart below describes the differences in quantitative and qualitative data.

Qualitative Date

Quantitative Information

Data that describes the characteristics such as colors, smells texture, etc.
Qualit ative → Qualit y

Case: It is cold exterior.

Data which tin be measured such as length, fourth dimension, temperature, etc.
Quantit ative → Quantit y

Example: The temperature exterior is i.1 degree Celsius.

Accuracy and Precision

Accurateness and precision have very similar definitions—both describe the quality of results in a laboratory experiment. The difference between the definitions, even so, is very important. Accurateness describes how shut values are to widely accepted or published values. For example, if you lot measured the acceleration due to gravity, did you get 9.viii one thousand/s2? Precision describes the quality of your measurements themselves. For example, how sure are you of them, and if you measure again, will you go the same result?

Measurements are an important office of doing experiments. Two dissimilar and often confused concepts pertaining to measurements are accuracy and precision.

Accuracy is how close to "true" measurements are. Measuring devices or techniques can easily exist inaccurate and lead to imitation measurements, and no matter how accurate a device may be, at that place is still a tolerance for error. No measurement is perfect. Accurateness must be deemed for in your results.

Precision is how consequent your results are for the same phenomena over several measurements, or how repeatable a device's (like a jump'south) operation can be made. Precision as a measure of variation, must be accounted for in your calculations and results.

Watch this video from TedEd to answer the question, "What's the departure between accuracy and precision?"

Cite Source

Anticole, Matt (2015, April fourteen). What's the difference between accuracy and precision? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/spotter?v=hRAFPdDppzs

Now that you have had time to explore the differences between accurateness and precision, have a expect at the following diagrams that testify the results of four different rounds of a dart game. Elevate each tile to the appropriate flick of the dartboard.

Wait at the list below of descriptors for accuracy or precision. Decide if the statement is referring to accuracy or precision. Drag the statement into the advisable cavalcade.

Reading a Metric Ruler

The standard unit for measurement of length in the metric arrangement is the meter. In scientific discipline class, near measurements are much smaller than a meter. A metric ruler is the standard instrument for measurement in the scientific laboratory. On a metric ruler, each private line represents a millimeter (mm). The numbers on the ruler stand for centimeters (cm). There are 10 millimeters for each centimeter. To read a metric ruler, each private line represents .x (1/10) of a centimeter, or one millimeter.

Diagram of how to read a metric ruler

Notice when converting from centimeters to millimeters, the decimal point is moved one identify to the correct. To catechumen millimeters to centimeters, movement the decimal point ane place to the left.

Sources: from summit to lesser as they announced in this section:
Paper Clip, Knowledge Tree
Pencil, The Bright Edge

Reading a Graduated Cylinder

A graduated cylinder is used to measure liquid volume. The unit is the milliliter (mL). To utilise a graduated cylinder, you must remember the post-obit:

person bending down to read meniscus of graduated cylinder at eye level

Place the graduated cylinder on a apartment surface and view the height of the liquid in the cylinder with your optics directly level with the liquid. The liquid volition tend to curve downward. This curve is called the meniscus. Always read the measurement at the bottom of the meniscus.

Reading the bottom curve of the meniscus in a graduated cylinder at eye level

The graduated cylinder will usually have heavy markings at x, 20, thirty, etc. milliliters. At that place are smaller markings in between the larger units called graduations. Read the graduated cylinder to the nearest tenth of a milliliter (46.five mL or 20.0 mL).

Graduated cylinders come in many different sizes (including 10 mL, 25 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL, 500 mL, and 1000 mL) and can be marked with different scale increments. It is important to determine the calibration increment before you brainstorm to mensurate. To find the scale increment, decrease the values of any ii adjacent labeled graduations and divide by the number of intervals between them. This technique works for thermometers, spring scales, and other measuring instruments too.

Image of graduated cylinder

For example:
15 – 10 = 5 (decrease the values of two adjacent labeled graduations)

5/5= ane (split up by the number of intervals between them)

Therefore, each graduation on the cylinder is i mL

Sources: as they appear in the section, from superlative to bottom:
Graduated Cylinder, The Scientific discipline Network
Reading a graduated cylinder, Ecolepatiale

Reading a Thermometer

Image of thermometer

A thermometer is a tool or instrument used to measure temperature. Thermometers should exist handled with care. They are tubes of glass filled with colored alcohol. At the bottom of the tube is a wider part called the bulb. When the bulb is heated, the liquid in the seedling expands or gets larger, causing the liquid to rise in the tube. When the bulb is cooled, the liquid contracts or gets smaller, causing the liquid to fall in the tube. The bulb at the base of operations of the thermometer should exist immersed in the fabric to be measured. To use a thermometer, you must think the following:

In scientific discipline, temperature is measured in degrees Celsius (°C).
If you are measuring the temperature of a material that is being heated, brand certain the thermometer seedling is not resting on the bottom of the container.
To read the temperature, your eyes should be level with the liquid in the thermometer.
Determine the increment scale in the aforementioned manner you did the graduated cylinder.

Reading a Triple Beam Remainder

Balances are used to measure mass. The units of mass are grams (g). The instrument yous will use most often to measure mass is the triple beam balance. The triple beam balance gets its proper name from 3 long, horizontal metal bars called beams connected to a pointer on the right-hand side. The arrow should ever be at zero point before obtaining the mass of any object. On each beam is a passenger that slides across the axle. Before using a triple beam residual, recall the post-obit:

Slide all riders dorsum to "0" on the beams before massing any object. Use the aligning knob to goose egg out the instrument if necessary.
Identify the object to be massed on the pan. Chemicals should be placed on waxed or filter paper before massing.
Gently slide the riders along the beams while determining mass. The pointer volition swing to a higher place and below the zero bespeak while you are adjusting the riders.
Make certain each rider is in a notch before reading.
The mass of the object will be the sum of the masses on all beams (measured to a 10th of a gram).
Always return the riders to naught BEFORE removing the object from the pan.

Image of diagram of triple beam balance

To practise using a triple beam balance, get to the link below and click through the following tutorial.

Reading a Triple Beam Balance

Notation: Adobe Wink Required. This interactive may not work on all devices and is not uniform with Google Chrome.

Making Scientific Drawings

Scientific drawings can exist made using several methods, depending on a particular laboratory investigation. For a microscopy lab, the drawings are made in circles that represent the viewing field of a microscope. For other labs such equally dissection labs, the drawings are representative of the entire organism or parts of the organism. These drawings show the relative size, shape, and location of anatomical structures. Most scientific drawings are labeled.

Use the following guidelines to assistance make your scientific drawing as clear as possible:

Use a pencil.
Championship your drawing.
Exist sure that the size of the drawing is proportional to the way it appears in the field of view.
Use a ruler to draw label lines.
Do not employ arrows for label lines.
Be sure that label lines indicate to the center of the construction being labeled.
Print all labels horizontally.
Characterization the correct-hand side of the cartoon, if possible.
Exercise not cross label lines.
If color is used, exist sure that information technology accurately stand for the color of the object.
Include magnification (if a microscopic drawing) or a scale (if a macroscopic drawing.)