Question

Select all that apply pick the TWO true statements from the following :

-Graduated cylinders are used to measure volume
-All graduated cylinders measure liquids with the same precision
-Graduated cylinders are the only instruments used to measure volume in the laboratory
-Always read a graduated cylinder from the bottom of the meniscus

Answer 1

Graduated cylinders are used to measure volume

Whenever possible, read a graduated cylinder from the bottom of the meniscus

Explanation:

Certainly, graduated cylinders are used to measure volume

Whenever possible, read a graduated cylinder from the bottom of the meniscus. It doesn’t matter where you read from, so long as you always do it the same way to avoid parallax error. The bottom of the meniscus is the most convenient.

However, if you have a deeply coloured solution like KMnO₄, you can’t see the bottom of the meniscus. You must then read from the top of the meniscus.

Graduated cylinders of different sizes have different precisions. For example, the precision of a 50 mL graduated cylinder is ± 0.5 mL. The precision of a 100 mL graduated cylinder is ± 1 mL

Graduated cylinders are NOT the only instruments used to measure volume in the laboratory. You also use burettes and pipets for precise measurement. Most beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks also have markings for rough measurements of volume.