Easy to Build Balance Scale and Graduated Cylinder

I am in sixth grade and this year due to remote learning my science teacher had us build a graduated cylinder and a balance scale all with things I had in my house. These work great for things you have in your house. Each tool was easy to make and only took between 25 minutes and 45 minutes to make. You can actually use these they are not just for show.

Supplies

For the graduated cylinder you will need a long plastic container, a sharpie, a syringe and a ton of water. For the balance scale you will need hot glue and 39 Legos.

Step 1: Supplies Needed for Balance Scale

For the balance scale you will need all 39 Legos ( Shown above) and you will also need hot glue. You will need a lot of hot glue and you will need to put the Lego on fast because the glue dries really fast. You will also need a paper plate for the hot glue gun so the glue won't burn anything I also highly suggest having an adult do the hot glue.

Step 2: Building the Balance Scale

First, you will want to start with a large base for me I had to stick two platforms together, but you could also use one platform. Next, you will want to start building the base that the top will balance on. I recommend starting with the larger blocks on the bottom. Then you will want to hot glue your two blocks to each other. You will want to make sure they fully dry before you put anything o them. One of the last steps is to start building the part of the balance that holds your items. You will need a medium piece and the part on the top you do not need but I find that It helps keep it stable. then You would stick the parts that were hot glued together to the part you just built, then just balance it on the top of the tower part and you can start putting things on it and you will see it move.

Step 3: Using the Balance Scale

Using the balance scale is very easy, you just have to make sure the piece is balanced on top of the tower. To do this you just balance it on the pegs. There is a weight limit. the limit is 103 grams so don't put anything over that. You may also want to put your items in cups but you have to make sure the same cup is on each side so that it is correct. You can also just put it straight onto the spots but I prefer to have cups on the spots. That is everything you need to know about using the balance scale.

Step 4: Supplies Needed for Graduated Cylinder

For the graduated cylinder, you will need a long tube-like bottle. I found this at a hardware store and I believe zip ties came in it but you can use anything. Next, you will need a cup of water to measure the exact amount of liquid you want in your measuring device. Next, you will want a syringe or something that has ML. Last but not least you will need a sharpie to mark your graduated cylinder. That is everything.

Step 5: Building the Graduated Cylinder

The first step to building your graduated cylinder is to decide how many ML am I going to measure by. I chose to measure by every 20 ML but I know that some of my classmates did every 10 ML so it is totally up to you. The next step is to get some water in your syringe and start to fill up to the amount you want. Make sure you mark your container every time you put water into it. I went up to 300 ML, but it is totally up to you. That is how you build a graduated cylinder.

Step 6: Testing the Graduated Cylinder

My favorite part of building both projects was testing the graduated cylinder. I just loved seeing the water go up and down as I put different things in and took them out. I found that you have to put a little more stuff in the cylinder because you want to see the water move. Also, you will want to make sure your items fit in your graduated cylinder because you don't want them to get stuck. The last tip I have is to make sure your object that you put into your measuring device sinks and sinks under the water. This helps get you an accurate answer. This is truly the best part.

Step 7: Using the Tools to Compare the Density of Objects

Well first let's talk about density. Density is the amount of matter that is in the space provided. The more tightly packed the atoms are the denser the object. For example, a battery is denser than water because a liquid is spread out so the atoms are not packed together. When you use the balance scale you are measuring the mass or how much something weighs. When you are using the graduated cylinder you are measuring the volume of an object. These are both parts of density and will help you determine which object is denser. Have fun using your measuring devices!

Step 8: Conclusion

This project was super fun. It truly is the best thing I have built for school. We are really going to use these in class which is the coolest part. I can finally say I have built my own project for school. I had so much fun building this project and I hope you have the same. Also now that you know a little bit about density you can use your tools while knowing what your working with. If I could do this assignment again I might have had a more accurate graduated cylinder, but I am still so happy with my designs. Have fun building!