Question

This graduated cylinder has numbers representing milliliters. A student says that the volume of the liquid inside is 21.8 milliliters.

What best explains why the student is wrong?

21.8 is at the top of the meniscus, but volume should be measured in the middle of the meniscus.
21.8 is at the top of the meniscus, but volume should be measured at the bottom of the meniscus.
Since the lines are only marked with whole numbers, the student must round to a whole number.
Since the whole numbers represent milliliters, the student must use a unit smaller than milliliters.

Answer 1

The answer for this question depends on the type of meniscus in the cylinder. If it is an upright meniscus like in water, the reading should be taken at the bottom of the meniscus. However if it is an inverted meniscus like in mercury, the reading should be taken at the top of the meniscus.