Apparatus
Left to right: pipette, syringe, pencil, test tube, beaker, Bunsen burner
The following apparatus are important to know at National 5 level Biology.
| Apparatus | Description and function |
| Beaker | A glass container with a pouring lip. Used to hold, mix or heat substances. |
| Balance | Scales used to measure mass. |
| Measuring cylinder | A cylindrical container used to measure the volume of liquid. |
| Dropper/pipette | A thin, tapering glass or plastic tube used to eject or suck in a small amount of fluid. |
| Test tube | A thin, cylindrical container, usually made of glass. Used to hold chemical and biological substances. |
| Boiling tube | A slightly larger glass test tube. Used to heat substances over a Bunsen burner. |
| Thermometer | A device that measures temperature. |
| Funnel | A tube that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. Used to move liquids or particles through a narrow opening. |
| Syringe | A tube and plunger used to eject or suck in a fluid or gas. |
| Timer / stopwatch | Used to measure the duration of an event. Usually hand-held and operated by buttons. |
| Microscope | A device that uses lenses to magnify items that are normally too small for the human eye to see, e.g. cells. |
| Petri dish | A glass or plastic circular dish. Used in combination with agar to grow cells. |
| Quadrat | A square grid, often 1m squared. Used to sample plants or slow moving animals e.g. snails. |
| Pitfall trap | A container embedded in the ground and protected by a flat roof covering. Used to capture small animals e.g. invertebrates, often for biodiversity sampling. |
| Light meter | A meter that measures light intensity. It is held at the soil surface and pointed in the direction of the maximum light intensity. |
| Moisture meter | A meter that can be used for measuring moisture, e.g. in soil. Probes are pushed into the soil to obtain a reading. |
| Water bath | A container that keeps water heated at a fixed temperature. Used for incubating samples. |
| Apparatus | Beaker |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A glass container with a pouring lip. Used to hold, mix or heat substances. |
| Apparatus | Balance |
|---|---|
| Description and function | Scales used to measure mass. |
| Apparatus | Measuring cylinder |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A cylindrical container used to measure the volume of liquid. |
| Apparatus | Dropper/pipette |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A thin, tapering glass or plastic tube used to eject or suck in a small amount of fluid. |
| Apparatus | Test tube |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A thin, cylindrical container, usually made of glass. Used to hold chemical and biological substances. |
| Apparatus | Boiling tube |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A slightly larger glass test tube. Used to heat substances over a Bunsen burner. |
| Apparatus | Thermometer |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A device that measures temperature. |
| Apparatus | Funnel |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A tube that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. Used to move liquids or particles through a narrow opening. |
| Apparatus | Syringe |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A tube and plunger used to eject or suck in a fluid or gas. |
| Apparatus | Timer / stopwatch |
|---|---|
| Description and function | Used to measure the duration of an event. Usually hand-held and operated by buttons. |
| Apparatus | Microscope |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A device that uses lenses to magnify items that are normally too small for the human eye to see, e.g. cells. |
| Apparatus | Petri dish |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A glass or plastic circular dish. Used in combination with agar to grow cells. |
| Apparatus | Quadrat |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A square grid, often 1m squared. Used to sample plants or slow moving animals e.g. snails. |
| Apparatus | Pitfall trap |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A container embedded in the ground and protected by a flat roof covering. Used to capture small animals e.g. invertebrates, often for biodiversity sampling. |
| Apparatus | Light meter |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A meter that measures light intensity. It is held at the soil surface and pointed in the direction of the maximum light intensity. |
| Apparatus | Moisture meter |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A meter that can be used for measuring moisture, e.g. in soil. Probes are pushed into the soil to obtain a reading. |
| Apparatus | Water bath |
|---|---|
| Description and function | A container that keeps water heated at a fixed temperature. Used for incubating samples. |
Laboratory microscope and petri dishes
