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Laboratory Equipment
Updated August 30, 2025
Graduated cylinder
A graduated cylinder measures the volume of liquids precisely. It's like a ruler for your liquids!
Category
Laboratory Equipment
Use Case
Used for measuring precise volumes of liquids in scientific experiments
Variants
Glass, Plastic, Class A, Class B
Key Features
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Precise Liquid Volume Measurement
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Cylindrical Transparent Glass Construction
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Graduated Scale For Accurate Readings
In Simple Terms
What it is
A graduated cylinder is a tall, narrow container used for measuring liquids. Think of it like a measuring cup, but much more precise. It’s usually made of clear glass or plastic and has measurement lines, or ‘graduations’, printed on the side. These lines let you see exactly how much liquid is inside, almost like a ruler for water.
Why people use it
People use graduated cylinders when they need to be very accurate with liquid amounts. In your kitchen, being a little off with water in a recipe is usually fine. But in many situations, being exact is super important. Using a graduated cylinder helps avoid mistakes and ensures that an experiment will work correctly or that a mixture will have the right strength. It’s a tool for getting things just right.
Basic examples
You can find graduated cylinders being used in many everyday places, even if you don’t see them every day. In a school science class, students use them to carefully measure water or chemicals for an experiment. At a pharmacy, a technician might use one to measure the exact amount of liquid medicine that goes into a bottle. Even in a swimming pool supply store, an employee could use one to measure a precise amount of chlorine to keep the water safe and clean. It’s all about precision for safety, health, and good results.
A graduated cylinder is a tall, narrow container used for measuring liquids. Think of it like a measuring cup, but much more precise. It’s usually made of clear glass or plastic and has measurement lines, or ‘graduations’, printed on the side. These lines let you see exactly how much liquid is inside, almost like a ruler for water.
Why people use it
People use graduated cylinders when they need to be very accurate with liquid amounts. In your kitchen, being a little off with water in a recipe is usually fine. But in many situations, being exact is super important. Using a graduated cylinder helps avoid mistakes and ensures that an experiment will work correctly or that a mixture will have the right strength. It’s a tool for getting things just right.
Basic examples
You can find graduated cylinders being used in many everyday places, even if you don’t see them every day. In a school science class, students use them to carefully measure water or chemicals for an experiment. At a pharmacy, a technician might use one to measure the exact amount of liquid medicine that goes into a bottle. Even in a swimming pool supply store, an employee could use one to measure a precise amount of chlorine to keep the water safe and clean. It’s all about precision for safety, health, and good results.
Technical Details
What it is
A graduated cylinder is a tall, narrow, cylindrical piece of laboratory glassware or plasticware designed for the precise measurement of liquid volumes. It falls under the category of volumetric glassware, which is characterized by calibration marks for quantitative analysis. Its primary function is to provide a more accurate measurement than beakers or flasks, though it is less precise than volumetric flasks or pipettes.
How it works
The cylinder operates on the principle of reading the meniscus, the curved surface of a liquid caused by surface tension. To obtain an accurate measurement, the cylinder is placed on a flat, level surface and the volume is read at eye level with the bottom of the meniscus. The calibration marks, or graduations, are etched or printed on the side, allowing for interpolation between lines to estimate volume. The narrow shape minimizes the surface area, reducing error and enabling more precise readings compared to wider containers.
Key components
The main structural component is the body, a long, uniform tube.
A stable, flat base prevents tipping and ensures the cylinder stands upright.
The spout, a lipped opening, facilitates clean pouring and minimizes drips.
The graduations are the etched or printed lines indicating volume, typically in milliliters.
Common use cases
Measuring and dispensing approximate volumes of liquids in chemical and biological experiments.
Preparing solutions where a high degree of precision is not critical, often as a preliminary step before using more precise instruments.
Determining the volume of irregularly shaped solid objects through water displacement.
Educational demonstrations in schools and universities to teach fundamental concepts of volume measurement and meniscus reading.
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