Illustration of a graduated cylinder
The circular plastic ring is used to prevent breakage of the lip of the cylinder if it is accidentally knocked over.
A graduated cylinder (Grad or graduate for short), also referred to as a measuring cylinder, is a type of laboratory glassware that is used for measuring the volumes of liquids in a quantitative manner. The top usually has a small curled lip to allow easy pouring of liquids, and the bottom is usually anchored with a wide base, to keep the cylinder from easily tipping. The volumes of liquids graduated cylinders can handle range from a few milliliters to many liters.
Pipettes or burettes provide more precise measurement options than graduated cylinders. Each consists of a long cylindrical tube, much taller than wide, with markings on the side to denote volumes.
A graduated cylinder can be made of plastic or glass or Pyrex. Often, the largest graduated cylinders are made of plastic, making them lighter and more break resistant.
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduated_cylinder under GFDL
