Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Laboratory Skills: Using Lab Equipment

Learning goals
After completing this activity, you will be able to …
Safely use electrical devices.
Use a wide variety of laboratory equipment.

Lab Equipment Demonstration

Your teacher is going to demonstrate the proper handling of many of the following pieces of lab
equipment and tools. You will then get the chance to try using the equipment yourself. In the
table below, take notes about the proper usage of each piece of equipment you learn about.
Also note any safety procedures you need to follow when using the equipment. Keep this
worksheet in your lab journal or notebook for future reference.

Equipment Description Usage notes (and safety issues)

Multimeters

Triple beam
balances

Batteries

Clamps

Dynamics
demonstration
equipment

Collision apparatus
 Equipment Description Usage notes (and safety issues)

Data acquisition
probes

Discharge tubes
with power supply

Hand-held visual
spectroscopes

Hot plates

Slotted and hooked

lab masses

Bar magnets

Horseshoe
magnets

Plane mirrors

Convex lenses

Pendulum support
Equipment Description Usage notes (and safety issues)

Power supply

Ring clamps

Ring stands

Stopwatches

Trajectory
apparatus

Tuning forks

Carbon paper

Graph paper

Magnetic
compasses

Polarized film

Prisms
 Equipment Description Usage notes (and safety issues)

Protractors

Resistors

Friction blocks

Mini lamps (bulbs)

and sockets

Electrostatics kits

90-degree rod
clamps

Metric rulers

Spring scales

Knife blade
switches

Celsius
thermometers
 Equipment Description Usage notes (and safety issues)

Meter sticks

Scientific
calculators

Graphing
technology

Computers

Cathode ray tubes

with horseshoe
magnets

Ballistic carts or
equivalent

Resonance tubes

Spools of nylon
thread or string

Containers of iron
filings

Rolls of white craft

paper
 Equipment Description Usage notes (and safety issues)

Copper wire

Periodic Table

Electromagnetic
spectrum charts

Slinky springs

Wave motion ropes

Laser pointers