Notes: Lab Equipment

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.