By At schools, colleges, higher education and in professional institutes, the students have to carry out their studies at two different levels being divided in theory and the practical, especially science subjects. The nature of the laboratories might be different, but the requirements are the same. The research studies require extensive use of the laboratories. The laboratory consists of suitable equipments according to the requirements of the work. Some technical business runners also need laboratories. The laboratories are a set of instruments and equipment and are not just confined to the educational institutions but are an essential requirement at the hospitals, industries and clinics as well. Thus, the types of laboratories may vary but the usage and motive is one which is facilitation. They fulfill essential needs of the people using it.
The stuff inside the laboratory is known as the equipment which varies with the type of the laboratory. The equipment is classified and differentiated according to its need. Laboratories that are the part of the institutions conducting scientific research have different requirements as per the need. They can be used to carry out medicinal, engineering, and industrial researches and are classified as per the demand of the subject.
- A physics laboratory studying motion, gravity, time and speed needs a particle accelerator or vacuum chamber.
- If the laboratory is set up in the metallurgical environment, the most required apparatus is for casting or metal refining or can also be used for determining their strength.
- The laboratories for chemistry and biology are referred as the wet labs and the equipment includes chemicals, burners, beakers and other glassware.
- The biologically operational laboratories require microscope as well.
The laboratory equipment completely changes when it comes to the social sciences.
- A psychologist would need a laboratory set up comprising of mirror, pencil, paper and sometimes hidden cameras.
- The computer science laboratories are equipped with computers. Computers are also required in the laboratories that carry out the activities like simulations or the data analysis collected through various sources.
- The construction sites require laboratories to check the materials being used in the construction to makes sure that the quality products are being used.
Laboratory equipment means the different types of the tools to be used by the scientists of all categories. The most common type of classical equipment includes Bunsen burners and microscopes. Some pieces of the equipment are required for specific purposes, for example, the spectrophotometer, operant conditioning chambers, and calorimeters.
Generally, the equipment is classified as the following;
- The chemicals, which can come in dry or liquid form.
- Glassware like beakers, pipette, test tubes, slides, etc.
- Analytical tools like balance, weighing machine, vernier calipers and stop watch.
A laboratory set up determines the kind of laboratory equipment required.
