Microscope Laboratory Activity

Estrada, Maria Shanelle Wynne B.
Gaid, Alona
BSES-3EMT1
I. MICROSCOPE HANDLING
Examine the microscope and give the function of each of the parts listed on the
right side of the diagram.
• Eyepiece or Ocular
-Magnifies the image produced by the microscope’s objective so that it can be
seen by the human eye.
• Body tube
-Connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses.
• Fine Adjustment Knob

-Tunes the focus and increases the detail of the specimen.
• Nosepiece
-A rotating turret that houses the objective lenses. The viewer spins the
nosepiece to select different objective lenses.
• High Power Objective

-To provide maximum possible magnification in order to view and identify details
which cannot be discerned while viewing the object through an objective lens
with a lower magnification factor.
• Low Power Objective

-Cover a wide field of view and they are useful for examining large specimens or
surveying many smaller specimens. This objective is useful for aligning the
microscope. The power for the low objective is 10X.
• Diaphragm
-To change the angular aperture of the cone of light that is produced after the
light travels through the condenser.
• Mirror or Light
-The light source for a microscope, typically located in the base of the
microscope.
• Base
-Supports the microscope and it’s where illuminator is located.
• Coarse Adjustment Knob

-Brings the specimen into general focus.
• Arm
-The arm connects the body tube to the base of the microscope.
• Stage clip
-Metal clips that hold the slide in place.
• Inclination Joint
-It allows one to tilt the upper part of the microscope so that you can view the
specimen while seated.
II. PREPARING A WET MOUNT OF THE LETTER “e”
Turn on the microscope and place the slide on the stage; making sure the "e" is
facing the normal reading position (see the figure above). Using the course focus
and low power, move the body tube down until the "e" can be seen clearly. Draw
what you see in the space below.
4X
6. Describe the relationship between what you see through the eyepiece and what
you see on the stage.
-When looking through the eyepiece, the image is reversed and turned upside-
down as opposed to seeing it with the naked eye.
7. Looking through the eyepiece, move the slide to the upper right area of the
stage. What direction does the image move?
-The image moves in the opposite direction of the stage, the lower left.
8. Now, move it to the lower left side of the stage. What direction does the image
move?
-The image moves to the upper right.
9. Re-center the slide 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. Draw the image you see of the letter e (or part of it) on
high power.
10X
10. Locate the diaphragm under the stage. Move it and record the changes in light
intensity as you do so.
-Adjusting the diaphragm affects how much light passes through.
III. Determining Total Magnification:
1. Locate the numbers on the eyepiece and the low power objective and fill in the
blanks below.
Eyepiece magnification (X) Objective magnification = Total Magnification

10 10 100X
2. Do the same for the high power objective.
Eyepiece magnification (X) Objective magnification = Total Magnification

10 40 400X
IV. Conclusion Questions:
1. State 2 procedures which should be used to properly handle a light

microscope.
-To handle a microscope properly is

▪ holding it by the arm and the other along the base, and
▪ is holding it close to your body in an upright manner.
2. Explain why the light microscope is also called the compound microscope.
-The compound light microscope is a tool containing two lenses, which magnify,
a variety of knobs used to move and focus the specimen. Since is uses more
than one lens, it is sometimes called the compound microscope in addition to
being referred to as being a light microscope.
3. Images observed under the light microscope are reversed and inverted.
Explain what this means.
-When looking through a microscope or telescope, the ocular lens is the one
closest to your eye. The image will pass through the first lens and then the
second lens, and because of the curvature of the first lens, the image will be
inverted.
4. Explain why the specimen must be centered in the field of view on low
power before going to high power.
-You must have the object centered before you change objectives to increase the
magnification, because the field of view becomes smaller, if the object is of to the
other side, it may disappear when you go to the higher magnification.
V. Plant and Animal Cells Lab

PRE LAB QUESTION
1. What are cells?

-Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things.
2. How are cells similar to the bricks of a building?

-Cells are comparable to building bricks because buildings made same bricks
have different shapes, sizes, and designs, organisms are made up of same cells
but different from each other.
3. How are animal cells different from plant cells?

-Plant cells have a cell wall, as well as a cell membrane. In plants, the cell wall
surrounds the cell membrane. This gives the plant cell its unique rectangular
shape. Animal cells simply have a cell membrane, but no cell wall.
4. List some main part of a cell

-The nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, chloroplasts, and cell wall.
Procedure onion cells
1. Peel a translucent piece of tissue from the onion. (The smaller the piece the
better.) Translucent means that you can see light through the specimen, but it is
not transparent.
2. Place the piece of onion on a glass slide and add a drop or two of the iodine
solution. Cover the slide with a cover slip using your best wet-mount making
techniques.
3. Observe the onion cell under both low and high power. Make a drawing of one
onion cell, labeling all of its parts as you observe them. (At minimum you should
observe the nucleus, cell wall, and cytoplasm.)
4. Draw and label the onion cell at both low and high power:
4X
10X
40X
Procedure: Skin cells – each person will make their own slide
1. To view skin cells, first wash hands with soap and water thoroughly, dry hands.
2. Put a 1 inch piece of clear tape on the top of your hand and rub thoroughly
3. Remove tape and place face (sticky-side) up on a slide
4. Add a drop of iodine and cover with a cover slip.
5. Observe the skin cells under both low and high power of your microscope.
6. Draw a diagram of one cheek cell and label its parts. At a minimum you should
observe the cell membrane, nucleus and cytoplasm.
4X
10X

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Estrada, Maria Shanelle Wynne B.

• Fine Adjustment Knob

• High Power Objective

• Low Power Objective

• Coarse Adjustment Knob

II. PREPARING A WET MOUNT OF THE LETTER “e”

III. Determining Total Magnification:

Eyepiece magnification (X) Objective magnification = Total Magnification

2. Do the same for the high power objective.

Eyepiece magnification (X) Objective magnification = Total Magnification

IV. Conclusion Questions:

1. State 2 procedures which should be used to properly handle a light

-To handle a microscope properly is

V. Plant and Animal Cells Lab

1. What are cells?

2. How are cells similar to the bricks of a building?

3. How are animal cells different from plant cells?

4. List some main part of a cell

Procedure onion cells

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