Working

in the laboratory is one of the best parts about being a biologist. there are two types of this. A volumetric pipette has only one graduation or
There are so many fun activities to do, experiments to run, and things to measurement line and is used to get that exact volume of liquid. A graduated
learn. When doing biologist lab activities and experiments, there’s a whole pipette is not as accurate as a volumetric one, but because it has many
host of equipment that may be used. Some of this equipment can be quite graduations you can measure many different volumes instead just the one.
fancy and specialized, but for the most part biologists use some standard stuff
to get the job done. Speaking of heating things in the lab, there are a few handy pieces of
equipment that serve this purpose. First is the Bunsen burner, developed by
When running experiments, taking accurate measurements is crucial. There none other than its namesake, Robert Bunsen. This produces a single flame
are a wired variety of measurements that can be taken depending on the task that can be used to heat substances. A hot plat is an electric source of heat.
at hand. Some of the most basic measurements in the lab involve length, You can use this to heat glassware or substances, and some hot plates even
volume, and mass of objects or substances. have magnetic stirrers in them so you don’t have to do that yourself!

The most common way to measure length is with a ruler. This can be a short Many biology lab activities involve dissection of specimens. In addition to
hand-held ruler or a long meter stick. To measure the mass of something we protective eyewear and gloves (which you should so many time you are
use a balance. This special lab scale give us a mass readings in grams. working in the lab), you probably be using forceps, scalpels and dissecting
Thermometers are the instrument we use to measure an object or scissors. Each of these pieces of equipment will help you cut open your
substance’s temperature in degree Celsius. sample properly so that you can investigate what’s inside. Additionally, you
may also use pins to help hold your specimen open.
There are a number of ways to measure the volume of a substance in the
biology lab. Beakers are common piece of equipment when the substance will If you’re preparing any kind of sample in the lab you’ll certainly want to take
be mixed and/or poured into some other container, and they have a special a closer look at it. For this, biologist use microscopes, of which there are
pouring spout just for this purpose. Beakers come in all different sizes. several different kinds. Generally, as small sample is taken from the larger
Smaller beakers are more appropriate for mixing smaller amounts of fluid, experiment and either placed on a microscope slide or in a petri dish. In this
while large beakers are appropriate for mixing larger amounts of fluid. way, you can put the smaller sample under the microscope for examination,
which is especially helpful for very small objects that can’t be seen with the
If we simply want to measure the volume of a liquid we would use a human eye.
graduated cylinder, which looks like a tall, thin beaker. Graduated cylinders
also come in a variety of sizes and are mucho more accurate for measuring You may also use test tubes in your biology lab experiments. These are quite
volume than a beaker. useful because they can hold liquids for observation as well as running
reactions. Most of the time test tubes will be held in a test tube holder, which
We also use different types of flasks in the biology lab. Most commonly used is handy if you have many test tubes but like most humans only have two
is the Erlenmeyer flask, which looks like an upside-down tunnel. This piece of hand!
equipment is used to hold liquids, but because of its narrow neck is not
generally used to mix anything. A Florence flask also has a thin neck, but Working in the biology lab is a fun and rewarding experience. There are many
instead of a cone-shaped bottom it has a round one. This makes it very useful pieces of equipment that can help you run experiments, and it’s important to
for boiling liquids, but again, not so much for mixing them. know what each does so that you can correctly. In the biology lab we
measure, test, and observe. Depending on your specific experimental need,
If you’re working with very small volumes, you will likely use eyedroppers and you may choose one piece of equipment over the other. And although some
pipettes. Eyedroppers are great for adding one drop of liquid at a time, but biology labs have very specialized and high-tech equipment, most labs will
not good for measuring exact amounts. A pipette is better for this job and employ some basic, universal tools that you need to familiarize yourself with.