Drawing scientific apparatus

• Use diagrams to show how scientific apparatus is set up.
• Scientists must be able to read measuring instruments properly.
• Common practical techniques that use apparatus include filtration, evaporation and distillation,

Equipment used in science is often called apparatus. Diagrams of apparatus being used are usually drawn instead of pictures.

Diagrams should be:

• Drawn in pencil. Lines should be firm and continuous with no gaps or shading - not sketchy like in art.
• As large as necessary to show clearly what is being represented.
• Labelled using separate ruled lines. One end of the line should be clearly pointing at the apparatus, and at the other end, the label is written. These labels should be spread out and the lines should not overlap each other.

Diagrams make it clear how pieces of apparatus are linked together.

Cross-section diagrams show what a piece of equipment would look like if it was cut in half and viewed from the side. In this image, a glass beaker is shown alongside a cross-section 2D diagram. It is much easier to draw than drawing a picture of the beaker.

Cross-section diagrams are used in science to help make scientific diagrams of apparatus clear and easy to understand what they show. Individual diagrams of equipment can be combined to show a practical technique.

In science 3D pictures are simplified to 2D cross-section diagrams.

Below are the most common pieces of apparatus found in a science lab:

When doing an experiment in science, something usually has to be measured. These measurements are taken using different pieces of equipment such as:

• A ruler - to measure a length or distance.
• A measuring cylinder – to measure volumes of liquids.
• A force meter – to measure the size of a force.

Reading the numbers accurately from a scale first, then recording them is very important.

Look at the divisions on the scale to work out what they mean before taking a measurement.

Some instruments like rulers have two scales on. It is important to use the correct scale. In science, centimetres or millimetres are used to measure distance on rulers, and not inches.

Throughout history body parts have been used to measure things.A ‘hand’ is an example of this and is actually still used today to measure horse height - although now it has been defined as a measurement of four inches.A ‘hand’ as a unit can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians.