Lab Apparatus
Within the Science course students will use a wide range of lab apparatus and glassware. Each piece has a different use or function and your teacher will explain these all when required.
Below shows a selection of the most commonly used pieces of lab apparatus:-
The above images are useful when trying find the right apparatus around the lab, but they are very tricky to draw to show how an experiment is set up.
In order to easily create a experimental diagram, lab apparatus symbols can be used.
Below is the same lab apparatus as above, but in symbol form:-
Using a Heat Source
Within Science lessons, heating a material can be useful for many reasons. The main heat source within a Science lab is a piece of apparatus called a Bunsen Burner. The Bunsen Burner uses Natural Gas from taps found on each workbench. The safe use of a Bunsen Burner is vital to working safely in a lab.
The image below shows a Bunsen Burner set to a safety flame:-
The diagram below shows the main parts of a Bunsen Burner:-
The Bunsen Burner allows a student to use a variety of flames, depending on what is required at the time. The flame is controlled by rotating the adjustable collar at the base of the barrel.
If the collar is set to give a closed air hole, then the flame will appear bright orange in colour. This flame is known as the safety flame as it is very easy to see.
If the collar is set to give an open air hole, then the flame will be much harder to see and be blue in colour with a small central bright blue flame. This flame is known as the heating flame as it is the hottest flame of a Bunsen Burner.
The image below shows the two main flames settings of a Bunsen Burner:-
As can be seen from the Image above, the safety flame is a safe flame because it is easy to see, not because it is cold.
If heating something small that can be placed inside the Bunsen Flame, there is a specific point in the flame that is hottest. The hottest point is directly above the small bright core inside the heating flame.
The diagram below shows a thermogram of a Bunsen Flame:-
Measuring
Within Science, measurements must be taken, with the method used for each different measurement depends on the experiment.
When measuring within Science, standard units should be used. If something is given in a unit that isn't standard, a conversion should be used. The diagram below shows how different quantities can be measured, as well as their standard units:-
