Length and volume measurement – ruler and graduated cylinder

Integrated ScienceScientific Skills & MeasurementAges 11–12

Students drag an object along a ruler so one end lines up with the 0 mark, read its length to the ruler's resolution, and see the resulting reading error. They then drop the object into a graduated cylinder: the water level rises, and reading V₁ and V₂ gives the object's volume, V = V₂ − V₁. Changing the resolution of the ruler and cylinder shows how the recorded result depends on the instrument used.