Microscope Lab

LAB WRITE-UP

The microscope is an invaluable tool, used for the advancement of science. Magnification of images using glass and light has been practiced for centuries, and it has evolved into the high tech microscopes we use today. Without this invention, scientists wouldn’t have been able to discover the cell and wouldn’t have come to know the human body as well as we do today. Microscopes allow us to continue to find cures for diseases and continue to educate ourselves.

The most common microscope used in the educational setting is the light compounding microscope. It is easy to use once you become familiar with its components and what they do.

Stage: The stage is the flat area where specimen slides are placed. Stage clips hold the specimen in place while the microscope is adjusted for optimal viewing.
Focus Knobs: There are two focus knobs on the microscope. The coarse focus knob raises and lowers the stage. Once the specimen is mounted, the hard focus knob is used to raise or lower the stage until the specimen is viewable. The fine focus knob adjusts the internal lenses to fine-tune the view and allow optimal resolution. It is best to adjust these knobs while looking into the microscope.
Iris: The iris is located in the middle of the stage. It controls how much or how little light is used in viewing the specimen.
Oculars: Oculars are the eyepieces of the microscope. They contain glass lenses and need to be adjusted until the image is no longer “double vision”, but a single image. It is best to adjust these while looking through the microscope.
Objectives: Objectives are pieces that can be moved depending on the level of magnification you want to use to view the specimen. They must be moved while looking at the microscope to be sure they don’t come into contact with the slide or stage clips. The higher the number on the objective, the closer you can view the specimen.

The print screen above is a view of cheek cells at 40x magnification.