Volume Lab
Volume Lab
Period ___
Volume Lab
Objectives:
• to determine the volume of a regular object using the formula: length x width x height
• to define the term "meniscus"
• to read a graduated cylinder using the meniscus
• to determine the volume of an irregular object using water displacement
Materials:
• Graduated cylinder
• A variety of materials such as blocks of wood, marbles, paper clips, box of tissues, etc, set up around the room
at stations
• ruler
Procedure:
Formula for Irregular Volume: Ending Volume - Starting Volume = Volume of object in mL
Data::
2 6 10
3 7 11
4 8 12
Analysis/Results:
1. What is a meniscus?
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2. Where do you measure from using the meniscus? ________________________
3. What item had the largest volume?
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4. What item had the smallest volume?
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Teacher Tips:
At the irregular volume lab stations, place the graduated cylinder, 2 objects to find the volume for, a beaker of colored
water using food coloring (makes reading the mL easier), a plastic spoon, and a rubber stopper on a tray.
Place the rubber stopper inside the graduated cylinder so it is at the bottom of the cylinder. The rubber stopper
prevents the graduated cylinder from cracking when objects are placed in (rocks, marbles, metal bars, nails, etc).
Use the plastic spoon to stop the heavy objects from falling out of the graduated cylinder when they pour the water out
and back into the beaker. The heavy objects will crack the beaker if it is simply "dumped" into the beaker.
Keeping all the materials on the tray will keep water from getting all over the place, esp if something does end up
cracking by accident!