Name: _Auguis, Desiree D.

_______________ Date Submitted: _August 1,

2022_

Class Schedule: _MWF 7:30-10:30_________ Score: _____________

Exercise No. _1_

The Compound Microscope

I. Introduction:

A microscope is a device used to make distant objects appear closer. It

magnifies images by means of glass lenses, usually with a series of adjustable
lenses to allow different types of magnification. The quality, resolution, and
magnification level of the microscope determine the amount if information that
can be gathered using the instrument.

There are two common types of microscope; Compound light microscope

and Stereomicroscope. A compound microscope is a microscope that uses
multiple lenses to enlarge the image of a sample. Typically, a compound
microscope is used for viewing samples at high magnification (40 - 1000x),
which is achieved by the combined effect of two sets of lenses: the ocular
lens (in the eyepiece) and the objective lenses (close to the sample). Light is
passed through the sample (called transmitted light illumination). Larger
objects need to be sliced to allow this to happen efficiently. The total
magnification is calculated by multiplying the magnification of the ocular lens by
the magnification of the objective lens (Molecular Laboratory of Molecular
Biology, n.d.).

The stereo- or dissecting microscope is an optical microscope variant

designed for observation with low magnification (2 - 100x) using incident
light illumination (light reflected off the surface of the sample is observed by
the user), although it can also be combined with transmitted light in some
instruments. It uses two separate optical paths with two objectives and two
eyepieces to provide slightly different viewing angles to the left and right eyes. In
this way it allows a three-dimensional visualization of the sample. Depth of
field is the distance between the nearest and farthest points in a sample that
appear sharp in the viewed image (Molecular Laboratory of Molecular Biology,
n.d.).

II. Objectives:
1. To identify the parts of some microscopes commonly used in the
biology laboratory
2. To familiarize the ways on how to properly care for the microscope
3. To practice calculating total nagnificatrions using different objectives of
the microscope
4. To introduce how to prepare a wet mount

III. Results:
(Please refer to the Activity Sheet attached)

IV. Discussions:

Images taken under a microscope are inverted, making them appear to

be upside down. As we observed, the letter ‘e’ appears to be upside down and
backwards. This occurs because two lenses are used by microscopes to magnify
the image. Some microscopes have additional settings for magnification that will
flip the image. Your slide will always look a little bit different when viewed via a
microscope, regardless of where you have it or what is on it. When you slide the
images up or down, they could appear to move left when you slide them right. In
SPO, we can totally see the inverted ‘e’. As we jump into the the LPO, we can
barely see the the letter ‘e’, that’s because the magnification from SPO to LPO
went up to two and a half times so our field of view is now two and a half
smaller. And then as we move forward to HPO, we are only seeing part of the
letter ‘e’. That’s because as we jumped from a total magnification of a hundred
to a total magnification of four hundred, the magnification went up four times so
the field of view just dropped four times. When viewed under the microscope,
everything is upside down and backwards. So when we move the slide of letter
‘e’ to the right, the image goes to the left.

The compound light microscope has for decades been the cornerstone of
the teaching and research in the life sciences. The compound light microscope
makes it possible to study plant and animal specimens at 100 x or so resolution.
The old style stereomicroscope magnifies specimens up to 15 times and is
especially useful for examination of internal structures, such as insect antennae,
nerves, and other fine structures.

Some parts of the Compound Light Microscope that can be adjusted are;

1. Revolving nosepiece - holds two or more objective lenses and can be

rotated to easily change power
2. Fine Adjustment knob - used to fine focus the image when viewing at the
higher magnifications
3. Brightness Adjustment - to adjust the tone curve by changing the middle
point value of the brightness of the entire image
4. Stage Control -  moves the stage left and right or up and down
5. Stage Clip - holds the slides in place

For the purpose of viewing specimens under stereomicroscopes, there

are two types of stage plates: black and white. A black stage plate simply places
the microscope condenser aperture over the specimen, while a white stage plate
allows more light to pass through and reduces glare, thus increasing observation
capabilities. In preparing a wet mount, it is important to carefully examine a
numbered grid of the wet mount you prepared to ensure that only one or two of
the insects in your preparation are 'wet mounted' and not resting on bubbles.
Bubbles between an insect that you intend to observe and the cover slip will
cause distortion in your observation. The distortion will be even greater if there
are air bubbles under the cover slip as well.
V. Conclusion:

Parts of commonly used microscopes:

COMPOUND LIGHT MICROSCOPE STEREOMICROSCOPE

IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Compound-and-Stereo-

Microscopes_fig2_323393218

Inside the laboratory, it is essential to know the basics. Hence,

identifying the parts and understanding what are the functions and uses of those
are important. A microscope is a tool that helps us see whats too small to be
detected by our naked eye. A plethora of scientific experiments, discoveries and
research can be attributed to the help of a microscope. However during optical
microscopy, use of this machine has to be done correctly and carefully, so that
the user receives the best possible results from it. If we care about our
microscope and want to get long-term value from it, we need to learn how to
care for it correctly. Most of us only scratch the surface of what's possible using a
microscope, so it pays to take some time and do everything we can to maximize
its potential. Treating this delicate piece of equipment in the right way will allow
us to get long-lasting value from it.

Furthermore, we cannot identify the total magnification if we do not

know how to calculate using the different objectives of the microscope. It is
simply the to multiply the objective power to the eyepiece. Total magnification is
a way to understand the 'power' of different objectives. You measure the
magnification of any objective by focusing on a line grating, measuring its
spacing and then multiplying that by the objective's numerical aperture. The
optical power of an objective is a measure of its strength: the higher the
magnification, the higher the power. The measurement given for an objective
usually indicates its lowest power, so if you use higher powers with a high-power
lens than you are supposed to, it can get damaged. If your 'low power' lens is
rated 1.25× and adds 50 mm to the focal length of your condenser, an increase
of 0.625× from that 1.25× results in a total magnification of 2× (one quarter life-
size).

Lastly, wet mounts are one of the most common types of microscopy,
and they offer a huge advantage over studying mounted slides through a simple
microscope. The advantage lies in the ability to study specimens under
transmitted light. Whereas a simple microscope can only reveal shadows and
lines, transmitted light reveals more-or-less colorless images that show much
more detail than shadows could convey. Avoid air bubbles inside the wet mount
in order for you to not come up with a distorted or low quality result of the
specimen.
 VI.

References
Microscopes. (n.d.). Retrieved from MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology:
https://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/microscopes4schools/microscopes1.php

Ward, B. (2022). Do Microscopes Invert Images? Retrieved from Microscopes and

Microscopy: https://microscopeclarity.com/do-microscopes-invert-images/

Wendt, G. (2020, November 16). Stereo Microscope vs. Compound: A Beginners

Guide. Retrieved from nuhsbaum: https://nuhsbaum.com/stereo-microscope-
vs-compound-a-beginners-guide/

Wright, S. (2021, September 30). Introduction to the Compound Microscope: Parts

& Uses. Retrieved from Study.com:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/introduction-to-the-compound-
microscope-parts-uses.html