Final answer:
Water in the burette can cause dilution of the titrant, leading to inaccurate titration results, thus it must be removed to ensure precise measurements and outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Having water in the burette before conducting a titration can lead to inaccuracies in the measurement of the titrant volume. Since titration relies on the precise measurement of the volume of a known concentration solution (the titrant) delivered from the burette to the unknown solution, any residual water can dilute the titrant, affecting the volume readings and resulting in an incorrect calculation of the unknown concentration.
It is crucial to ensure that the burette is clean and free of any water or other substances before starting the titration to achieve accurate results.