PRACTICAL Name:

1 Microscopes and how to use them

You need:
■ a microscope ■ prepared slides (e.g. insect head, wings, legs etc.)

Eyepiece This is the lens you

The parts of a microscope look through.
(note that there are many different varieties of
microscope, this diagram is intended as a general
guide to the structure) Turret This turns round so you
can use different objective
Coarse focus knob This is used to lenses.
get the specimen roughly in focus.
Objective lenses These have
Fine focus knob This is used different powers of
to get the specimen in sharp focus. magnification. The longer the
lens, the greater its power to
Iris adjuster This controls the magnify specimens.
amount of light reaching
the specimen.
Stage The platform that you put
Light switch For the bulb used the specimen slides on. Slides are
to shine light through the held down by a spring clip.
specimen.

Using a microscope
1 Turn the turret until you have the low power objective lens (the
short lens) in line with the eyepiece.
2 Clip a slide on the stage so that it is in the centre under the
objective lens and look through the eyepiece.
3 Adjust the coarse focus until the specimen becomes clear. If
necessary adjust the fine focus until the specimen is in sharp
focus.
4 Move the iris adjuster until the specimen is clearly lit.
5 Calculate the magnification by multiplying the power of the
eyepiece by the power of the objective lens (e.g. a 35 eyepiece
used with a 3 15 objective magnifies 75 times).
6 Notice how, when you move the slide, the specimen seems to
move in the opposite direction.
7 Change to the medium power objective. Do not use the higher
power objective yet. Focus the microscope and notice that you
now see much less of the specimen but at a higher magnification.
8 How to use high power objectives. If this is done carelessly the
lens and a slide can be damaged. With some microscopes, equal
damage can be done with smaller lenses too.
a) With your eyes level with the stage, slowly lower the high
power objective until it almost touches the slide.
b) Look through the eyepiece and focus by moving the lens
away from the slide (i.e. always focus upwards). This avoids
smashing the lens through the slide.

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 PRACTICAL Name:

Care of microscopes
When not in use, keep the microscope protected with a plastic cover
(and in a box if possible).
Accumulated dust in a microscope can deteriorate image quality.
Keep all openings covered with dust caps so that dust does not
enter the microscope and settle on inaccessible lenses, mirrors, and
prisms.
Use an air blower to blow dust off the stage, base, and body. If
necessary wipe it down with a damp cloth, and clean off any smears
with ethanol. Take care to clean and wash off the stage if any
corrosive substance (even a salt solution) has been used.
Carefully clean the objectives (see detailed description below).
Remove the condenser top lens and clean it with lens paper and
ethanol, if necessary.
Remove both eyepieces and clean their surfaces with an alcohol
swab/lens tissue. Blow any dust or dirt out of the insides with an air
blower, if one is available.
An occasional thorough cleaning of immersion objectives is
necessary, but try to avoid doing this too often (more than once per
month), as cleaning agents can remove an objective’s anti-reflection
coating over a period of time.
To clean a lens, remove it from the turret. Fold a piece of lens
tissue into quarters, and add a few drops of straight ethanol. Gently
wipe the lens in a circular motion (only letting the tissue, not your
fingers, come into contact with the lens glass). Always immediately
wipe off any excess ethanol with a dry piece of tissue – allowing
ethanol to remain on the lens could also affect the anti-reflection
coating (and may slowly loosen the cement which holds the lens in
position).
Examine the lens carefully by removing the microscope’s eyepiece,
looking through it backwards, to see a magnified image of the lens.
The lens surface should appear spotlessly clean. If not, repeat the
above procedure. This is also a good way to examine a lens closely
for scratches or other imperfections.

Your teacher will be looking for:

■ careful use of the apparatus given
■ good observation of the point where the image is in sharp focus

© OUP: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute