Measuring cylinder

This piece of apparatus is used to measure the volumes of liquids. It is not particularly accurate so would not generally be used in quantitative work (tolerance information can be found here). It is used in preparative work (where we are making something rather than measuring something), and in quantitative work if we need to add an excess of reagent. In these cases the exact quantity of material added is not critical. Measuring cylinders come in a wide variety of sizes. The common sizes used in schools and colleges are 10 cm³, 25 cm³, 50 cm³, 100 cm³, 250 cm³, 500 cm³ and 1000 cm³. Always use the smallest measuring cylinder possible as this will limit the measurement error. Make sure that you read to the bottom of the meniscus, place the cylinder on a flat surface, and get on a level to avoid parallax errors.