Notes: Lab Equipment
beaker – the beaker can be used to hold, mix, and heat substances.
Made of glass, it measures volume as a close estimate only.
Erlenmeyer flask – the Erlenmeyer flask is used to heat and store
liquids. Its shape allows materials to heat quickly due to the increased
surface area at the wide bottom. Made of glass, it measures volume as
a close estimate only.
test tubes – test tubes have a variety of uses including chemical
reactions, cultures and storage of materials. Made of glass, they have a
curved bottom and so should always be placed in a test tube rack.
test tube rack – this piece of equipment is used to hold test tubes
containing substances or for storage when the tubes are empty.
test tube holder – test tube holders protect your hand when used to
move test tubes that are too hot to touch or hold test tubes during
heating and reactions.
test tube brush – this piece of lab equipment is used for cleaning the
insides of test tubes.
wash bottle – the wash bottle sprays a stream water and can be used
for rinsing out a piece of lab equipment.
graduated cylinder – the graduated cylinder is used to make ACCURATE
measurements of liquid volume.
milliliters, liters
pipet – this is used for moving small amounts of liquid from place to
place, or for adding a liquid one drop at a time.
tongs – larger than a test tube holder, they can protect your hands
when they are used to hold or move larger pieces of lab equipment.
forceps – forceps are used to pick up and transfer small items.
Petri dish – this is a plastic plate with a lid that has many uses including
growing cultures, containing critters, and storage of materials.
Bunsen burner – the Bunsen burner has an open flame that is used for
heating and exposing items to fire.
hot plate – hot plates have burners that are used to heat materials.
triple-beam balance – this tool is used to find an ACCURATE mass of
items.
grams
digital scale – like the triple-beam balance, a digital scale is used to find
an ACCURATE mass of objects.
grams
stir rod – usually made of glass, stir rods are used to mix materials and
can be used to guide liquids into a beaker.
funnel – the funnel is used to ‘target’ liquids so that you can pour
without them spilling.
stopper – stoppers come in many different sizes and can be made of
rubber, cork or glass. They can be solid for storage, or have holes
through them to hold thermometers or other lab equipment.
ring stand – ring stands are used to hold items that are being heated.
ring clamp/ test tube clamp – clamps are used with a ring stand to
support glassware above the lab table, a Bunsen burner, or hot plate.
thermometer – the thermometer is used to take the temperature of
materials, and you will use thermometers with a Celsius ( oC )
temperature scale.
microscope slide – usually made of glass, it holds the item that will be
viewed under the microscope.
cover slip – a cover slip is a very thin, square-shaped piece of plastic or
glass that covers the item on the microscope slide so the microscope
will not be contaminated.
meter stick – a meter stick is used to make an ACCURATE measurement
of distance.
meters, centimeters, millimeters
safety glasses/ safety goggles – used to protect your eyes from
dangerous materials during an experiment.
seismograph – this piece of equipment is used by scientists to record
data from earthquakes. The machine is the seismograph, the paper is
called a seismogram.
anemometer – meteorologists use anemometers to find wind speed.
barometer – a barometer measures air pressure.
spring scale – a this piece of lab equipment will show the force of an
object or action.