ITP Measuring Cylinder
This ITP has been remade so that it will work in modern browsers. It will remain free to use.
This ITP allows you to control two taps that pour a liquid in and out of a measuring cylinder. You can set the scale on the cylinder to a maximum of 50, 100, 200, 500 or 1000 units and the scale interval to 1, 2, 5 or 10 units. You can simply turn the taps on and off and ask questions that involve prediction, addition and subtraction. Using the inlet and outlet controls to set the amount of liquid to pour in and out of the cylinder offers the opportunity for the introduction of multiplication (repeated addition) and division (repeated subtraction) too. A marker can be set to indicate an early quantity.
The ITP can be used to explore and consolidate the interpretation and reading of scales, mental calculation strategies and methods of recording. Using different scales can support children’s estimation skills and provides a context for problem solving involving capacity and volume.