Background:

Microscopes are typically tubes packed with lenses, curved pieces of glass that bend (or refract)
light rays passing through them. A simple microscope includes one convex mirror , which generally
magnifies for 5-10 times. Microscopes that are used at home, school or in professional laboratories are
compound microscopes that use 2 lenses to project a magnified image. The lenses above the object is
called the objective lens and the one next to the earpiece is called the eyepiece or ocular lens. Each of
these may, in fact, be made up of a series of different lenses. Most compound microscopes can magnify
by 10, 20, 40, or 100 times, though professional ones can magnify by 1000 times or more. For greater
magnification scientists use electron microscopes. It uses light to project an image. Electron microscopes
shoot beams of electrons at their subject, which is held in an airless, vacuum-sealed tube. This type of
microscope is generally used to study cells. The two sub categories of an electro microscope are;
transmission electron microscopes and scanning electron microscopes. Transmission electron
microscopes shoot electrons through a thin and dehydrated subject, hitting a film placed behind the
subject, forming an image that includes the inner structures of a cell. On the other hand, scanning electron
microscopes shoot a beam of electrons over the surface of a subject, creating a three-dimensional image.
Electron microscopes are divided into sub categories based on the way they produce images. These
microscopes have a magnification of up to one million times what a human eye can see with clear
resolution. The last main type of microscope is the scanning probe microscope. As in the name, it uses a
probe whose metallic tip can be as small as an atom, over a microscopic surface. The probe can measure a
number of things as it rolls over the subject, from physical depth to electronic and magnetic forces.It also
produces images without color because the probe cant measure visible light.

The magnification produced by a microscope allows people to view different type of individual
cells and single-celled organisms such as bacteria and other microorganisms. Types of cells that can be
viewed under a basic compound microscope include cork cells,
plant cells and even human cells scraped from the inside of the
cheek.

Aim:
Observe cells under a microscope and calculate their magnification.

Materials:
-slide
-compound microscope
-toothpick
-cheek cells
-yellow colored dye
-Pipette

Procedure:
1. Turn the revolving turret (2) so that the lowest
power objective lens (eg. 4x) is clicked into
position.
 2. Get a slide and put dye on it (yellow) and put a drop from the pipette on the slide.
3. Then get a toothpick and scrap your cheek cells. Spread the toothpick with the
scarped check cells on the slide .
4. Place the microscope slide on the stage (6) (in this case cheek cells) and fasten
it with the stage clips.
5. Look at the objective lens (3) and the stage from the side and turn the focus knob
(4) so that the stage moves upward. Move it up as far as it can go without letting
the objective touch the coverslip.
6. Look through the eyepiece (1) and move the focus knob until the image comes
into focus.
7. Adjust the condenser (7) and light intensity for the greatest amount of light.
8. Move the microscope slide around until the sample is in the centre of the field of
view (what you see).
9. When you have a clear image of your sample with the lowest power objective,
you can change to the next objective lenses. You might need to readjust the
sample into focus and/or readjust the condenser and light intensity. If you cannot
focus on your specimen, repeat steps 3 through 5 with the higher power objective
lens in place. Do not let the objective lens touch the slide! Go to 10x and 40x. 4x
magnification helps to locate the cell,10x magnification helps to locate the details
of the cell and 40x magnification helps to look inside the cell
10. When finished, lower the stage, click the low power lens into position and remove
the slide.

Precautions:
- An obvious yet important rule of microscope safety is to carry the unit properly. Always carry
the microscope with both hands.
- Since the microscope uses a mirror, one should never use direct sunlight to light a
specimen, as it can cause severe damage to the eyes.
- If the glass slide breaks, alert the teacher immediately.
- When scrapping cheek cells from your teeth with a toothpick, make sure to not scrap too
hardly as it could damage your cheek.

Experimental errors: There was too much dye on the slide, so it was difficult to differentiate
between the different parts of the cell. The microscopes used in this experiment were of low quality which
put effect on how clearly the cell could be seen. There were also broken cells due to the chromatic injury.

Improvements: Diluting the dye would result in a more clear view of the cell. In order to avoid
broken cells, the cell shouldn’t be scrapped with a blunt or sharp object.

Citations:

Different Types of Microscopes - Exploring the top four and others. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.microscopemaster.com/different-types-of-microscopes.html
Microscope Use: Easy Microscope Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.microscope-
detective.com/microscope-use.html