Determining the Mass of a Graduated Cylinder with 10 ml Water

A graduated cylinder containing 10 mL of water weighs the mass of the empty cylinder plus about 10 g. The exact total depends on the cylinder, since glass and plastic cylinders have different masses. There is no single mass that applies to every 10 mL cylinder.

Water’s density is close to 1 g/mL at room temperature, so 10 mL contributes approximately 10 g. This is an estimate: the water’s mass varies slightly with temperature and with anything dissolved in it. The cylinder’s empty mass is usually the larger unknown.

How to find the total mass

Weigh the clean, dry cylinder on a balance, then add 10 mL of water and weigh it again. The second reading is the total mass of the cylinder and water. Subtract the empty-cylinder reading from the filled-cylinder reading to find the water’s mass.

For a reliable comparison, use the same balance for both measurements and avoid changing the setup between readings. For careful mass measurements, factors such as balance calibration and air buoyancy can matter; the NIST Guide to the SI discusses measurement considerations.

Example

Suppose an empty, dry cylinder reads 42.0 g. After you add 10 mL of water, the balance reads 51.9 g. The total mass is 51.9 g, and the difference is 51.9 − 42.0 = 9.9 g. In this example, the water contributes 9.9 g, close to the approximate 10 g expected for 10 mL.

The example readings are illustrative. Your cylinder may have a different empty mass, and your balance may show a different result. If the filled reading is needed, use that reading directly; if the water’s mass is needed, subtract the empty-cylinder reading.

Key Takeaways

• A cylinder with 10 mL of water has a total mass equal to its empty mass plus about 10 g.
• The total mass varies with the particular cylinder.
• Weigh the empty cylinder and the cylinder with water to determine the actual total and water mass.
• Water temperature and dissolved substances can shift the water’s mass slightly.