LABORATORY

ACTIVITY MICROSCOPE
No. 1
Objectives After completing this activity, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the proper procedures used in correctly

using the compound light microscope.
2. Prepare and use a wet mount.
3. Determine the total magnification of the microscope.
4. Explain the proper procedure for focusing under low and
high power using the compound light microscope.

Time to Complete 2 Hours

MATERIALS:

Compound microscope Eye dropper The letter "e" cut from newsprint
Glass slides Beaker of water Cover slips Scissors

INTRODUCTION

Historians credit the invention of the compound microscope to the Dutch spectacle maker,
Zacharias Janssen, around the year 1590. "Micro" refers to tiny, "scope" refers to view or look at.
The compound microscope uses lenses and light to enlarge the image and is also called an optical or
light microscope (vs./ an electron microscope). The simplest optical microscope is the magnifying
glass and is good to about ten times (10X) magnification. Microscopes are tools used to enlarge
images of small objects so as they can be studied.

PROCEDURE:

I. PROPER USE OF THE MICROSCOPE

1. When moving your microscope, always carry it with both hands (Figure 1). Grasp the arm with
one hand and place the other hand under the base for support.
2. Turn the revolving nosepiece so that the lowest power objective lens is "clicked" into position.
3. Place the microscope slide on the stage and fasten it with the stage clips. You can push down
on the back end of the stage clip to open it.
4. Using the coarse adjustment, lower the objective lens down as far as it will go without touching
the slide!
Note: Look at the slide and lens from the side when doing this (see Figure 2).
5. Look through the eyepiece and adjust the illuminator (or mirror) and diaphragm (Figure 3) for
the greatest amount of light.

6. Slowly turn the coarse adjustment so that the objective lens goes up (away from the slide).
Continue until the image comes into focus. Use the fine adjustment, if available, for fine focusing.
7. Move the microscope slide around so that the image is in the center of the field of view and
readjust the mirror, illuminator or diaphragm for the clearest image.
8. You should be able to change to the next objective lenses with only slight focusing adjustment.
Use the fine adjustment, if available. If you cannot focus on your specimen, repeat steps 4 through
7 with the higher power objective lens in place. DO NOT ALLOW THE LENS TO TOUCH THE
SLIDE!
9. The proper way to use a monocular microscope is to look through the eyepiece with one eye
and keep the other eye open (this helps avoid eye strain). If you have to close one eye when
looking into the microscope, it's ok.
10. Do not touch the glass part of the lenses with your fingers. Use only special lens paper to clean
the lenses.
11. When finished, raise the tube, click the low power lens into position and remove the slide.

II. Preparing Mount

A. DRY Mount
1. Choose a specimen(strand of hair)
2. Place your specimen in the middle of a clean and dry slide
3. Get a cover slip and hold it by its edges and gently place it over your specimen
4. Place and view your specimen on the microscope and use the low power lens to view for
more focus.(Follow the procedures as stated above)
5. Repeat procedure 4 using high and oil power objective.
6. Draw what you see.

LOW Power Objective HIGH power Objective OIL Power Objective

B. WET mount
1. Cut a lowercase letter preferably an“e”, from the newspaper
2. Place in the centre of a clean slide
3. Put a drop of water on the top of the letter using an eyedropper
4. Place the edge of a cover slip against the water and gently lower the cover slip over the
letter.
Lab Procedure:

1. Set up your microscope at your workstation.

2. Prepare your first wet mount.
3. Turn on the microscope and place the slide on the stage; making sure the "e" is facing the
normal reading position.
4. Draw what you see.
5. Repeat the steps 1 to 4 by using dry mount of “e”
WET mount of “e” DRY mount of “e”

a. What did you observe?

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6. Prepare a wet mount of “e” with too much water and another wet mount with small amount
of water.. Then repeat steps 1 to 4.
Compare your observations by illustrating the image you see.

WET mount “ enough water” Wet mount (too much water) Wet mount (small amount)

1. Describe the relationship between what you see through the eyepiece and what you see on
the stage.
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2. Looking through the eyepiece, move the slide to the upper right area of the stage. What
direction does the image move? How about when moved to the left?
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3. Why do we need to add a fluid solution on a slide when viewing a specimen under a
microscope?
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4. What happens when too much amount of water is added in preparing a wet mount? When
small amount of water is added?
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III. Determining Total Magnification:

Eyepiece Magnification X Objective magnification = MAGNIFICATION

1. Locate the numbers on the eyepiece and the low power objective and fill in the blanks
below.

2. Do the same for the high power objective.

3. Remove the slide and clean it up. Turn off the microscope and wind up the wire so it
resembles its original position. Place the low power objective in place and lower the body
tube. Cover the scope with the dust cover. Place the scope back in its original space in the
cabinet.

CONCLUSIONS
1.Why are images observed under the light microscope reversed and inverted?

2. Describe the changes in the field of view and the amount of available light when going from low
to high power using the compound microscope.

3. How does wet mounts affect the resolution of a specimen observed in a microscope?