Republic of the Philippines

SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY

Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

NAME: ___________________________________ DATE: __________________

COURSE/YEAR: ___________________________ RATING: ________________

ACTIVITY # 1
THE MICROSCOPE

I. INTRODUCTION
"Micro" refers to tiny, "scope" refers to view or look at. Microscopes are tools used to

enlarge images of small objects so as they can be studied. Microscope is a tool used to enlarge

images of small objects that are hard to study with bare eyes. The compound light microscope,

which is going to be used in this lab activity, is an instrument with two lenses and various knobs

to focus the image. Because it uses more than one lens, it is sometimes called the compound

microscope in addition to being referred to as being a light microscope.

II. OBJECTIVES

At the end of the activity, the students shall be able to:

a. Identify the parts of the microscope.

b. Determine the total magnification of the microscope.

c. Demonstrate the proper procedures used in correctly using the compound light

microscope.

III. MATERIALS

o compound microscope o colored pencils, marker

o glass slides o the letter "e" cut from

o cover slips newsprint,

o dropper o toothpick/cotton swab

o beaker with water o textbook

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

IV. PROCEDURES

1. Carry the microscope upright with two hands. Once removed from the storage cabinet, the

microscope must always be held upright.

2. Place your dominant hand on the arm of the microscope with your other hand supporting

the base of the microscope. Care should be taken not to bump your microscope on objects

such as chairs, tables, or walls.

3. Gently place your microscope on your laboratory table and remove the protective plastic

cover.

4. Inspect the microscope before use. All parts should move easily. If they do not, do not force

them. Do not attempt any repairs. Report all damage, missing parts, or anything else to your

laboratory instructor.

5. Only clean the lenses with lens paper. The optical parts of the microscope are precision

lenses and scratch easily. The only acceptable method of cleaning them is through the use

of lens paper. Do NOT use paper towels, shirtsleeves, or handkerchiefs to clean lenses.

Never remove oculars or other parts from the body tube of the microscope.

6. Do not push the microscope across the table. When sharing a microscope with others, never

push the microscope across the table top. Instead, trade places with them. Sliding results in

vibrations to the microscope that may result in the loosening of screws, or misalignment of

parts.

7. Examine the microscope. Label and give the function of each of the parts listed on the right

side of the figure. Use the spaces provided in writing your answers.

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

◼ base
◼ fine adjustment knob
◼ coarse adjustment knob
◼ light control
◼ power switch
◼ arm
◼ head
◼ stage
◼ mechanical stage
◼ iris diaphragm lever
◼ condenser
◼ substage light
◼ rotating nosepiece
◼ objective lenses
◼ ocular lenses

Answers:

Number Parts of the Microscope Function

10

11

12

13

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

14

15

8. With your scissors cut out the letter "e" from the newspaper.

9. Place it on the glass slide so as to look like (e).

10. Cover it with a clean cover slip. See the figure below.

11. Using your dropper, place a drop of water on the edge of the cover slip where it touches the

glass slide. The water should be sucked under the slide if done properly.

12. Place the slide on the stage; making sure the "e" is facing the normal reading position.

13. Using the course focus and low power, move the body tube down until the "e" can be seen

clearly.

14. Using your toothpick/cotton swab rub and scrape the inside lining of your mouth and smear

on the slide.

15. Gently add a drop of methylene blue and cover with cover slip. Remove the excess solution

with paper/tissue.

14. Draw what you see in the space below.

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

15. Describe the relationship between what you see through the eyepiece and what you see on

the stage.

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16. Looking through the eyepiece, move the slide to the upper right area of the stage. What

direction does the image move?

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17. Now, move it to the lower left side of the stage. What direction does the image move?

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

18. Place the slide on the center of the stage and change the scope to high power. You will

notice the "e" is out of focus. DO NOT touch the coarse focus knob, instead use the fine focus

to resolve the picture. s. Draw the image you see of the letter e (or part of it) on high power.

19. Locate the diaphragm under the stage. Move it and record the changes in light intensity as

you do so.

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20. Obtain a clean slide and a cover slip from the slide box and the cover slip box found on your

lab table. Take them to the instructor’s bench and place a drop of pond water on the clean slide.

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

21. Holding the cover slip at an angle on the edge of the drop of water slowly lower the cover

slip down on top of the drop of water. If correctly done there should be no air bubbles. However,

if you should have air bubbles you can gently tap them out using the erasure side of a pencil.

22. Return to your microscope and view the contents of your drop of pond water. Practice using

your mechanical stage to move the slide around and locate all of the microscopic life thriving

in your single drop of pond water. Draw your observation on the space provided

Low Power Objectives High Power Objectives

Specimen: ______ Specimen: ______

23. Locate the numbers on the eyepiece and on the objectives. Fill in the blanks below.

Eye Magnification X Objective = Total Magnification

Magnification

______5x___________ _______10x_______ ________50X________

24. Unplug carefully. Use care when plugging in and unplugging the microscope from electrical

outlets. When unplugging, always pull gently on the plug at the outlet. Do not attempt to unplug

the microscope by pulling on the cord away from the plug.

25. Replace microscope properly. When finished with the microscope, turn off the light, remove

the last slide from the stage, and wipe any water or other materials from the stage.

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

26. Next, be certain that the lowest power objective is clicked into position, and racked up to

its highest point.

27. Neatly wrap your electrical cord and place the plastic cover over the microscope. cc. Return

the microscope to its proper numbered slot in the cabinet.

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Define and briefly discuss the following terms:

a. Magnification and definition

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b. Focal point and focal length

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

c. Parfocal and parcenter

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d. Resolution/Resolving power

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e. Working distance

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f. Numerical aperture

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

___________________________________________________________________________

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2. Briefly describe the use of the following:

a. Light microscopy

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b. Phase microscopy

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

c. Dark field microscopy

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d. Polarizing microscopy

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e. Electron microscopy

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 Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
College of Fisheries

f. Fluorescent microscopy

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V. Generalization

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