Laboratory Activity 1: Understanding Cells

Abstract

As a vital scientific tool, students have to familiarize themselves with the microscope. It enables
one to closely observe things that cannot be seen by the naked eye. In this laboratory activity,
students were to observe a prepared blood smear under the microscope. Taking images was
allowed to document the slide under different levels of magnification. This activity allowed the
students to successfully observe proper handling and care of the microscope, as well as to learn
its parts and their purpose.

Introduction
A microscope is an instrument used to
examine objects that are too small to be
perceived by the naked eye. It aids scientists
in studying microorganisms, cells,
crystalline structures, and so forth.
The objectives of this laboratory activity are
for the students to become familiar with the
use of microscopes, to determine the
function of each of its parts, and to calculate
and understand the importance of
magnification.
This activity is significant because it aims to
provide knowledge to students and
educators alike. It aims to answer questions
in mind and to appease one’s curiosity.
Materials and Methodology
First, obtain a microscope and a prepared
blood smear. Turn on the illuminator, place
the blood smear on the stage, and secure the
stage clips. Adjust the diaphragm to the
largest opening. Observe through the ocular
lens with each of the available objective
lenses. If the image is not clear, adjust the
coaxial knob and the stage height
adjustment. Document the data collected in
the laboratory activity.

Results and Discussion

 tube – connects eyepiece to the objective
OCULAR LENS
lenses
TUBE arm – supports the tube and connects it to
ARM the base of the microscope

base – the bottom of the microscope used

for support
STAGE
illuminator – a steady light source (110
volts) located at the base. Older
microscopes used mirrors to reflect light
DIAPHRAGM from an external light source through the
stage.

STAGE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT stage – the flat platform where you place
your slides
BASE
stage clips – metal clips used to hold a
slide in place

stage height adjustment – if your

TURRET microscope has a mechanical stage, these
OBJECTIVE
knobs will be able to move the stage left
LENSES STAGE and right or up and down.
CLIPS
revolving nosepiece or turret – can be
rotated to switch between the available
objective lenses

objective lenses – the lenses closest to the

specimen that range in power, usually from
CONDENSER
4X to 100X.
LENS COAXIAL
KNOB
condenser lens – focuses the light from the
illuminator onto the specimen
ILLUMINATOR
diaphragm – a rotating disk under the
stage that adjusts the amount of light that
ocular lens – the lens where one reaches the specimen
looks to see the specimen. They
usually contain a 10X or 15X coaxial knob – used to focus the
power lens. microscope

A. Scanner objective
 C. HPO objective

This photo was taken using a 40X

magnification on the microscope. The
blood smear particles look like tiny blue
dots as seen in the picture.
B. LPO objective
This image confirms that the tiny blue
dots are indeed enclosed in a translucent
sphere. The aforementioned purple
shapes became more prominent in this
photo. A 400X magnification was used
for this picture.

Calculation: The magnification was

computed by multiplying the
magnification of an objective by the
magnification of the ocular lens. The
microscope used for this activity had an
ocular lens with a 10X magnification.

Objective Ocular Total

Lenses Lens Magnification
scanner (4X) (10X) = 40X
LPO (10X) (10X) = 100X
HPO (40X) (10X) = 400X
With a closer look, it seems like the tiny
blue particles are enclosed in a
translucent sphere. A few specks of Conclusion
round, purple shapes also appeared. A
100X magnification was used for this All the objectives of this activity were
image. successfully met. The students became
familiar with the microscope and its
parts. They also learned how to compute
for the total magnification, and the role it
plays in the image seen through the
microscope.
References

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/microscope

https://www.microscope.com/education-center/microscopes-101/compound-microscope-parts/

http://www.cas.miamioh.edu/mbiws/microscopes/Magnification.html