What is the curve of liquid in a graduated cylinder called?

What is the curve of liquid in a graduated cylinder called?

A meniscus is a curve in the surface of a molecular substance (water, of course) when it touches another material. With water, you can think of it as when water sticks to the inside of a glass.

What is a meniscus in a graduated cylinder?

When a liquid is placed into a graduated cylinder, the surface takes on a curved shape. This curve is known as a meniscus. The graduated cylinder is calibrated so that reading the bottom of the meniscus, when viewed at eye level, will give accurate results.

How do you read a meniscus in a graduated cylinder?

To correctly read a graduated cylinder, the surface at the center of the meniscus must be read, not the top of the ring of liquid clinging to the wall of the graduated cylinder. For most liquids, this “center” will be the lowest point of the meniscus.

When you read the volume of a liquid in a graduated cylinder above the eye level will you get a lower or higher reading?

Keep in mind that when reading the measurement, you need to keep the graduated cylinder on a level desk, lower your eyes to the level of the meniscus, and you read the volume accordingly. Be sure to include one point of estimation in your reading (see sample reading shown on the left).

What is the curved surface of water?

meniscus
A meniscus is the curved surface at the top of a column of liquid. In a science class, this liquid is usually water or some sort of aqueous solution, and the column is usually a graduated cylinder or a pipet. As you may have noticed, when water is in such a thin glass tube, it does not have a flat surface at the top.

Why liquid surfaces are generally curved?

The meniscus is the curve caused by surface tension in the upper surface of a liquid. Capillary action acts on concave menisci to pull the liquid up, increasing the favorable contact area between liquid and container, and on convex menisci to pull the liquid down, reducing the amount of contact area.

What is a meniscus in measuring liquid?

A concave surface of a liquid resulting from surface tension. The bottom of the meniscus is used to measure the volume of a liquid in apparatus such as a graduated cylinder.

What is the meniscus in a graduated cylinder quizlet?

What is a meniscus? A curve in the surface of a liquid substance(such as water) when it touches another material. When reading a volume in a graduated cylinder, it is also important that your eyes are level so that you are not looking at the meniscus from the top or the bottom.

How do you measure liquid in a meniscus?

The key to getting an accurate reading, is to measure the center of the meniscus whether it be concave or convex. E.g. with a concave meniscus, measure the bottom of the meniscus and for convex meniscus, take the reading from the top of the meniscus.

How do you read a meniscus on different liquids?

If the meniscus is a concave meniscus, read at the lowest level of the curve. If the meniscus is convex, take your measurement at the highest point of the curve. The short answer: Take your measurement from the center of the meniscus. It’s that easy.

How do you read a liquid in a graduated cylinder?

Reading a Graduated Cylinder Place the graduated cylinder on a flat surface and view the height of the liquid in the cylinder with your eyes directly level with the liquid. The liquid will tend to curve downward. This curve is called the meniscus. Always read the measurement at the bottom of the meniscus.

What is the volume of the liquid in the graduated cylinder?

Graduated cylinders commonly range in size from 5 mL to 500 mL. Some can even hold volumes of more than a liter.