Beaker - Definition and Overview

Illustration of a Beaker

A beaker is a type of laboratory glassware which consists of a cylindrical cup with a notch on the top to allow for the pouring of liquids. They are about as wide as they are tall. This makes beakers very stable and easy to handle. They may be made of plastic, glass, or Pyrex^®. Some beakers have graduated markings, or calibrations, to allow an easy rough measure of liquid volume.

Picture of a beaker

As a means to make solutions, they are probably the most used piece of laboratory glassware. Coupled with a good magnetic stirrer, they see frequent heavy use in a laboratory. Like a test tube or a boiling tube, a beaker can be placed over a burning flame to be heated.

In Britain, beaker may refer to the drinking utensil known in North America as a mug.

• See Beaker people, for info about the prehistoric peoples.

• Beaker is also the name of a muppet who is the hapless assistant of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew on The Muppet Show