Microscopes

D. Crowley, 2007
 Sunday, November 6, 2022

Microscopes
• To be able to use microscopes

Robert Hooke’s microscope, 1665

Microscope
• What is a microscope and how
does it work?
Microscopes
• A microscope makes things appear much bigger than
they actually are – they magnify them

• This means we can view objects which are too small to

be seen using the naked eye

• Microscopes date back almost 400 years, and

nowadays there are many types, from optical
microscopes which can magnify objects by around
1000x, to electron microscopes which can magnify to
more than 1’000’000x
 Using A Microscope
There is a procedure of 8 steps you need to follow to use a microscope correctly…

1. Place the smallest objective lens (the smallest

lens) over the hole in the stage

2. Turn the coarse focusing wheel to make the gap

between the stage and the objective lens as
small as possible

3. Place a slide on the stage, and secure with the

clips. The slide contains what you want to see
(your specimen)
Using A Microscope

4. Adjust the light source so light goes up through the

stage

5. Look into the eyepiece lens

6. Turn the coarse focusing wheel slowing, until your

specimen is in focus
Using A Microscope

7. To see your specimen in more detail, turn the next

largest objective lens over your specimen

8. Use the fine focusing wheel to get your image into

focus again - do not use the coarse focusing wheel
- this can break your slide!

• In pairs, get a microscope and examine different specimens

under the microscope - first look at everyday objects, e.g. some
money, some writing paper, a hair etc…

• Draw what you see using some plain paper…

 Worksheet
• Finally, complete the bottom section of your worksheet
- label the microscope.
• When you have completed this, stick it in your book
along with your drawing of a magnified object

Eyepiece lens Objective lens

Focusing wheel
(big = coarse; small = fine)

Stage

Light source
(mirror) Slide (where specimen is)