Measuring Volume of Liquids

To measure the volume of a liquid, we use a tool called a graduated cylinder.

Using a Graduated Cylinder

Using a Graduated CylinderThe markings on a gradulated cylinder

tell you its size: “100:1”ml near the top means it

measures 100 milliliters and has a marking every one milliliter increment.

When you read it, you can count by ones!

Size of a Graduated Cylinder

100:1ml

Using a Graduated Cylinder• “250:5”means it

measures 250 milliliters and has a marking at every five milliliter increment. To read this one, you must count by fives!

Using a Graduated Cylinder• What would you count by to read the

graduated cylinders below?

Using a Graduated Cylinder• What would you count by to read the

graduated cylinders below?

100:10 means count by 10’s!

50:2 and 100:2mean count by 2’s!

250:5 means count by 5’s!

How to read the volume of a liquid in a graduated cylinder

The meniscus is the U-shaped “the upper surface of a liquid in a tube”.

Meniscus

How to read the volume of a liquid in a graduated cylinder

1. Always measure volume in a graduated cylinder at the bottom of the meniscus.

How to read the volume of a liquid in a graduated cylinder

2. Always look straight from the side of the meniscus at the graduated cylinder to measure volume. (Never try to read from above or below.)

Reading a graduated cylinder’s volume

From above meniscus WRONG!!!!! From below meniscus

WRONG!!!!!

Reading a graduated cylinder’s volume

From the side of the meniscus CORRECT!!!

What volume of liquid is in these graduated cylinders?

What volume of liquid is in these graduated cylinders?

9.4 mL 71 mL 33 mL 17 mL

Measuring volume of an irregularly-shaped object

1.Put a moderate amount of water in a graduated cylinder and measure the volume.

Measuring volume of an irregularly-shaped object

2. Place the object in the graduated cylinder with the water.

3. Measure the volume of the water in the graduated cylinder with the object submerged in it.

(rock)

Measuring volume of an irregularly-shaped object

4. Subtract the volume of just the water from the volume of the water with the object submerged. This value tells you the volume of the object.

Measuring volume of an irregularly-shaped object

For example, if there is 58ml of water in a graduated cylinder and you add an object, then the volume of the water and the object is 56 ml. What is the volume of the object?

58ml (volume of water with object submerged)-56ml (volume of just the water)

2ml (volume of object)