INTRODUCTION:

The microscope is one of the principal tools of the biologist. It was invented through the efforts
of Dutch scientist Anton Van Leeuwenhoek. In the laboratory, the microscope serves as a very useful
tool to help you discover the fascinating secrets of the living world which the unaided eye cannot see. In
this exercise, you will study the proper use and care of this delicate instrument. The microscope is one
of the principal tools of the biologist and was invented through the efforts of Dutch scientist Anton Van
Leeuwenhoek. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, also known as “Dutch of microscopist”, was born on
October 24,1632, he was raised at Delft, Netherlands. While on August 26,1723 Anton Van
Leeuwenhoek died. Additionally, he was the first to discover bacteria and protozoa and his observations
helped lay the foundations for the sciences of bacteriology and prozoology. A microscope, came from
the greek word mikrós, means “small”, is an instrument used to see objects that is too small to
be seen by a naked eye. With that being said, there are different types of microscopes that are
used for microscopy. Some of these are Simple Microscope, Compund Microscope, Stereo
Microscope etc. For this project, the group used Compound Microscope to attain the certain
tasks. Compound Microscope is a gadget that is used to magnify images through a glass slide.
Moreover, it can achieve higher levels of magnification than stereo or other low power
microscopes and reduce chromatic aberration. These compound microscopes can magnify
specimens enough that the user can see cells, bacteria, algae and protozoa.

Objectives:
At the end of the period, students should be able to:
1. identify the parts of a compound microscope and learn the function of each part;
2. manipulate the different parts correctly.
3. compute for the magnification of drawing.
4. differentiate the low power objective from the high power objective in relation to the size
of the field of vision, magnification, and resolving power.

Materials:

Compound Microscope

Glass Slide

Cover Slip
 Colored threads

Human hair

Medicine Dropper

Transparent or Plastic ruler

Small letter “e”

compound microscope human hair (gray, black, and colored)

glass slide medicine dropper

cover slip transparent or plastic ruler
colored threads small letter "e" cut out from an old newspaper

Procedure:

Before studying the different parts of your microscope, bear in mind the following points:

1. Other students in different classes also use your microscope. Always inspect it before
using and report to the instructor any damage you can see.
2. The microscope is a delicate and expensive instrument. Exercise utmost care when
using it so that other students will be able to use it too.
3. Manipulate the microscope only when you are thoroughly familiar with it.