How to Read a U-Shaped Liquid Column
- 1). Draw a solid black rectangle 2 inches long and 1 inch wide on a piece of white paper using a black marking pen.
- 2). Hold the paper behind the U-shaped top of the column of liquid in your measuring device, for example, a 100-ml graduated cylinder.
- 3). Position your eyes so they are at the same level as the U-shaped curve, called a meniscus, at the top of the liquid column.
- 4). Identify the bottom of the meniscus; this will be the part of its curve closest to the table on which your measuring device rests.
- 5). Read the short, horizontal, numbered mark on the side of the measuring device that the bottom of the meniscus touches. For example, the bottom of the meniscus in your graduated cylinder is touching the "50 ml" mark on the side of the 100-ml graduated cylinder. Your graduated cylinder holds 50 ml of water.
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