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Worksheet - Microscope: Part A: How To Use A Microscope

The document provides instructions for using a compound light microscope. It describes the basic parts of the microscope, including the eyepiece, objectives, stage, focus knobs, light source, frame, and base. It explains that objectives provide different levels of magnification and that total magnification is calculated by multiplying the objective and ocular magnifications. Finally, it gives step-by-step instructions for setting up and using the microscope, focusing on a specimen, and adjusting the light intensity.

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Leonita Swandjaja
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151 views2 pages

Worksheet - Microscope: Part A: How To Use A Microscope

The document provides instructions for using a compound light microscope. It describes the basic parts of the microscope, including the eyepiece, objectives, stage, focus knobs, light source, frame, and base. It explains that objectives provide different levels of magnification and that total magnification is calculated by multiplying the objective and ocular magnifications. Finally, it gives step-by-step instructions for setting up and using the microscope, focusing on a specimen, and adjusting the light intensity.

Uploaded by

Leonita Swandjaja
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WORKSHEET MICROSCOPE

Part A: How to use a Microscope


The type of microscope you will most likely be using is a compound light microscope. This type of microscope uses multiple lenses,
one near the object and one (or a few) in the eyepiece, to magnify the object you are observing.
Microscopes are incredibly helpful tools for scientists, but there are a few things you should know about microscopes before you
begin using them.

Part B: Parts of a Microscope


The image below shows the parts of a microscope you should be familiar with.
Eyepiece: the part of the microscope you look
through to observe your specimen (10x
magnification)
Objectives: the lower lenses with different
magnification levels (example: 4x, 10x, 40x)
Stage: where your slide is placed on the microscope
Focus knobs: The larger coarse focus knob allows
you to quickly raise or lower the stage to bring the
slide into view. The smaller fine focus knob allows
you to bring your slide into clearer focus.
Light source: this allows your slide to be viewed in
the eyepiece. The light is bent or refracted by the
lenses to magnify the object you are viewing. The
level of light intensity can be adjusted using the
illumination intensity wheel on the base of the
microscope.
Frame: the backbone of the microscope
Base: This is the sturdiest portion of the microscope.
For this reason a microscope should always be
carried with one hand under the base and one hand
around the frame.

Part C: Magnification
Your microscope will generally have three or four magnification levels (objectives). In addition to the objective magnification, the
ocular lens in the eyepiece has a magnification level of 10x. To get the total magnification level you must multiply the magnification
of the ocular lens by the magnification of the objective lens. So, if you are viewing your slide under the 40x objective lens you would
multiply that by the 10x of the ocular lens for a total magnification of 400x.

Objective Lens Ocular Lens Total Magnification


4x 10x 40x
10x 10x 100x
40x 10x 400x

Part D: General Procedures to Use a Compound Binocular Light Microscope


1. Carry your microscope by the base and frame to your desk.
2. Plug in your microscope and turn on the light.
3. Place your slide on the stage and using the lowest power objective lens, slowly turn the coarse focus knob until you start to
see the specimen on the slide come into focus (at this step, what you see will still be blurry, the goal is just to bring your
specimen into better view before really focusing in on it). You may need to move the slide around in order to begin to see
your specimen.
4. Now use the fine focus knob to bring your specimen into perfect focus. If you are sharing your microscope with other
students, each student will use the fine focus knob to focus the specimen best for their eyes.
5. Once you have your slide in focus on the lowest magnification level, you can switch to the next highest objective lens. You
may need to re-focus slightly with the fine focus knob.
6. Repeat this focusing process until you have reached the objective lens you want to use to inspect your specimen.
7. If the image of your slide seems too dark or bright to see anything, try adjusting the light intensity.
8. When you are done with your microscope be sure to lower the stage as far as it will go and switch back to the lowest
objective. Unplug your microscope and carry it properly back to storage.

1
Part E: Exercise
Fill in the blanks on this diagram and hand this page to your teacher before checking out your microscope for todays activity.

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Part F: Studying Prepared Slides
Your assignment is to look at your set of prepared slides through the microscope and draw a picture of what you see. Do all your
drawing using a pencil. Draw what you see in the field-of-view. Make sure you select one your set of prepared slides and label that
one. Do your drawing after looking at your set of prepared slides on high power (400X). (If you cant focus on high power, draw it
on medium power [100X].)

Drawing Description
Slide 1: ___________________
General Description:

Power used: ______ X


Slide 2: ___________________
General Description:

Power used: ______ X

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