Purpose:
To develop the skill of measuring liquid volume using a graduated cylinder and metric units
Background Information:
When water is placed in any container its properties cause the water to adhere to the sides of the container. The force of gravity pulls downward and causes the center of water surface to be pulled lower than the sides. This curve is called the meniscus and is more noticeable in narrower containers. Always read the volume from the lowest point of the meniscus.
Materials:
25 ml graduated cylinder
6 test tubes labels
Procedure:
1. Label 6 test tubes A,B,C,D,E,& F. test tube rack small beakers or cups water with food coloring (red, yellow & blue)
2. Fill 3 beakers (or cups) with a different colored sample of water (one beaker of red water, one beaker of blue water and one beaker of yellow water).
3. Measure 19.0 ml of red water and pour it into test tube A.
4. Measure 18.0 ml of yellow water and pour it into test tube C.
5. Measure 18.0 ml of blue water and pour it into test tube E.
6. From test tube C, measure 4.0 ml and pour it into test tube D.
7. From test tube E, measure 7.0 ml and add it to test tube D. Mix.
8. From the beaker( or cup) of blue water, measure 4.0 ml and pour it into test tube F. Then from the beaker( or cup) of red water, measure 7.0 ml and add it to test tube F.
9. From test tube A, measure 8.0 ml of water and pour it into test tube B.
10. From test tube C, measure 3.0 ml and add it to test tube B. Mix.
11. record the color of the water in each test tube in Column A.
12. Use the graduated cylinder to measure the volume of the water in each test tube. Record this measurement in column B.
13. Calculate the amount of water that was actually poured into each test tube. Record this value in Column C.

Data and Observations:
A
B
C
D
E
Test
Tube
Column A Column B
Color of Water Total Volume of
Water (Actual) mL mL mL mL mL
Column C
Total Volume of
Water
(Calculated) mL mL mL mL mL
F mL mL
Conclusion:
Write a one paragraph conclusion for this activity. Within your conclusion, answer each of the following questions.
1) What was the purpose of this experiment? 2) How did the actual volume of the water in the test tubes compare to the calculated values? 3) Explain what errors could have caused the actual volume to differ from the calculated volumes.