Measuring Liquid Volume with a Graduated Cylinder
Soft drinks such as soda and fruit juices are sold by volume. The containers may have a
capacity of 1 liter (1L), 2 liters (2L), or some other convenient size. Smaller volumes of the drinks may
often be sold in 350 ml containers (cans). In the following activity we will use a graduated cylinder to
measure liquid volume.
Problem:
Purpose:
Hypothesis:
Materials:
Beakers with red, blue and yellow colored water.
Test tube rack
100ml graduated cylinder
10 ml graduated cylinder
Pipettes
Labels for test tube
Procedure:
1. Label the test tubes with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F.
2. Measure and pour 19 ml of red water into test tube A.
3. Measure and pour 18 ml of yellow water into test tube C.
4. Measure and pour 18 ml of blue colored water into test tube E.
5. From test tube C measure and pour 4ml of yellow water into test tube D.
6. From test tube E measure and pout 7ml and add it to the liquid in test tube D.
7. From the beaker of blue water measure and pour 4ml into test tube F.
8. From the beaker of red water measure 7ml and add it to the liquid in test tube F.
9. From test tube A measure and pour 8ml of red colored water into test tube B.
10. From test tube C measure and pour 3ml of yellow colored water and add it to test tube B.
Observations:
1. Record the color of each test tube in the data table below.
2. Using a graduated cylinder measure and record the amount of liquid in each test tube in the
data table below.
Volumes and % Error of Liquids in Test Tubes
Test Tube
Color of
water
Amount of
water
ml
Accepted
Value
ml
Percentage
error
%
A
B
C
D
E
F
Analysis of Data:
The teacher will provide the accepted values for each test tube. Use this information and your
experimentally determined data to calculate the percentage error of measurement for each test tube.
Then record the % error in the data table above.
% Error =
Experimental Value – Accepted Value
X 100%
Accepted Value
Conclusions:
1. Were any of your measurements greater than 5%? If so list them.
2. Show of how you calculated percentage error for the test tube that had the greatest
percentage error.
3. What does it mean if you obtain a negative % error?
4. What might you do differently to reduce your percentage error (experimental error)?