SCIENTISTS WHO CONTRIBUTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MICROSCOPES

Scientist Year Contribution

Zacharias Jansen 1950 They started experimenting using lenses; they
made a very important invention – a compound
microscope.

Hans Jansen

Robert Hooke 1665 He used his improved compound microscope

and discovered tiny compartments in a thin slice
of cork which he later called “cells”.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek 1668 − He made use of a simple light microscope.

− He was the first to observe bacteria, yeasts,
red blood cells, and described colonies of
protozoans teeming in a drop of rainwater
which he called “animalcules”.
− He is also the father of Microscopy.

PARTS AND FUNCTIONS OF A COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

− A microscope is an instrument that makes small objects look larger.

− It serves as our research tool
− that brings us much information of the cell, microorganisms and helps improve our lives
especially in the field of medicine

A compound microscope is a type of microscope that uses visible light to illumine the object being
observed. It consists of two optical parts:
1. Ocular lens in the eyepiece
2. Objective lenses
Two objective lenses:
a. Low power objective (LPO)
b. High-power objective (HPO) lenses with 10x and 40x magnification
* Magnification is the process of causing an image to appear larger than it really is.

PARTS OF THE MICROSCOPE

1. THE ILLUMINATING PARTS

− Parts responsible for the supply of light.
− These are the mirror, diaphragm and the ocular/ eyepiece

2. THE MAGNIFYING PARTS

− Parts that enlarge the object once seen under the microscope.
− They are the ocular lens and the objective lenses.
− The objective lenses are the scanner, the low power objective (LPO) and the high-
power objective (HPO).
 − LPO, the object being viewed shows the entire outline of the specimen
− HPO the object being viewed shows the detailed structure of the specimen.

There are three types of objectives. These are:

a. Scanner - usually marked 4x, combined with the eyepiece lens, will provide the
lowest magnification power;
b. Low power objective- usually marked 10x, most helpful in analyzing glass slide
samples; and
c. High power objective- longer than the LPO and usually marked 40x or 60x, used
to focus on a specific part of the specimen.

3. THE MECHANICAL PARTS are responsible to hold and support the structural components of
the microscope. These are the base, arm, body tube, stage, stage clips, adjustment screws
and the revolving nosepiece.

PARTS FUNCTIONS
EYEPIECE/ OCULAR It contains the magnifying lens where you look through which usually
LENS provides a 10x or a 15x magnification. It allows viewer to see the
magnified image of the specimen.
BODY TUBE It connects the eyepiece to the revolving nosepiece with the
objectives.
ARM It supports the body tube and connects it to the base. It is where the
microscope is held.
MIRROR It reflects the light upward through the diaphragm, the specimen, and
the lenses.
Look through the eyepiece and with the concave mirror (with
depression) facing up, move it until you see a bright circle of light. The
bright circle of light is called the field of view of the microscope.)
DIAPHRAGM It regulates the amount of light that goes into the body tube and
reaches the specimen. The size of the openings differs. The amount
of light reflected also changes where the bigger the opening, the
greater is the amount of light reflected.
STAGE It supports the slide containing the specimen being viewed.
The slide mounted on the stage can be moved from side to side until
the specimen comes into view.
STAGE CLIP It holds the slide in place.
REVOLVING NOSEPIECE It is a rotating part of the microscope at the bottom of the body tube.
It is also holding the objective lenses.
It is to assemble lights and improve magnification
a. scanning objective – with 4x magnification
b. low power objective – with 10x magnification
c. high power objective – with 40x magnification
d. oil immersion objective with 100x magnification
COARSE ADJUSTMENT It moves the tube and lower power objective (LPO) lens closer or
KNOB farther away from the stage to view the image of the specimen.
Turning the coarse adjustment knob upwards and downwards raises
and lowers the body tube with the objectives, respectively. It also
focuses or brings out the object to be observed.
FINE ADJUSTMENT KNOB It brings an image of the specimen into fine focus showing the detailed
parts of the specimen while using the high-power objective (HPO)
lens. It is being turned slowly until the specimen comes into view.
OBJECTIVE LENS These are the scanner:
a. Low Power Objective (LPO) - either 10x or 15x and shorter in
length
b. High-power Objective (HPO) - is longer and is usually marked
40x
BASE It provides support and serves as a stand of the microscope.
INCLINATION JOINT It is the joint that connects the arm and the base of the microscope. It
enables the microscope to be tilted to view the specimen while the
viewer is sitting.
 HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE

The microscope is an expensive instrument. It needs to be handled carefully and proper. The following
are ways on using a microscope.

1. To transfer your microscope from the shelf to your table, carry it with two hands. Hold the arm
with one hand and place the other hand beneath the base for support.
2. Place the microscope on the table with the arm pointing toward you.
3. Check the lighting of the room. Make sure you have enough light to view the specimen.
4. Raise the body tube by turning the coarse adjustment knob.
5. Turn the revolving nosepiece. Set the objective lens to the lowest power. The lowest power is
the shortest objective lens. As you revolve the nose piece, you will hear a “click” sound
indicating that you set it in position.
6. Place the glass slide on the stage and position it in the middle. And use the stage clip to hold
the slide in place.
7. Turn the coarse adjustment knob carefully to lower the body tube as near as it will go without
touching the glass slide. Look at the stage side to side.
8. Look through the eyepiece to adjust the light that is passing through the microscope. You can
adjust the mirror to reflect the greatest amount of light.
9. Slowly turn the coarse adjustment knob to move the objective lens up. Continue until the image
comes to focus. Use the fine adjustment knob to finer focusing.
10. To turn to the highest power objective, look at the microscope from the side. The highest power
objective is the longest objective lens. Then turn the revolving nosepiece until the highest power
objective clicks into place.
11. Look through the eyepiece and slowly turn the coarse adjustment knob to focus the image. Use
the fine adjustment knob for fine focusing.
12. When finished, raise the body tube and position the lowest power objective lens. Remove the
glass slide and return the microscope to its shelf.
Activity:

Answer the following questions:

1. Which are the mechanical parts of the microscope?

__________________________________________________________________________
2. Which are the magnifying parts of the microscope?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Which are the illuminating parts of the microscope?
__________________________________________________________________________

Write TRUE if the sentence is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.

_________ 1. The revolving nosepiece is used to switch from one objective to another.
_________ 2. Any cleaning material may be used to clean the lenses of the microscope.
_________ 3. The microscope is used to magnify objects far from you.
_________ 4. The use of direct sunlight to brighten the field being magnified is advisable.
_________ 5. The mirror provides the field of view when looking through the microscope.
_________ 6. The arm is where you hold the microscope.
_________ 7. To ensure the safety of the microscope, both hands should be used.
_________ 8. The slide can be moved to focus certain parts of the specimen.
_________ 9. It is advised to look through the eyepiece with both eyes open to avoid eyestrain.
________ 10. Coarse adjustment knob is used for high-power objective (HPO).

Fill in the blanks. Choose your answer inside the box.

Fine adjustment
Arm
Diaphragm
Base
Compound
Stage
Revolving nosepiece
500x
1000x
Low power

1. In focusing a specimen, you should always begin with the ___________________ objective.
2. In using the high-power objective, only the ___________________ knob should be utilized.
3. ______________ microscope is used in most science class.
4. Which part of the microscope can adjust the amount of light that hits the slide?
______________________.
5. By the ________ and the __________, we should carry the microscope.
6. The objectives are connected to what part of the microscope _______________.
7. The glass slide is placed on the __________for viewing.
8. If a microscope has an ocular objective of 20x and a high-power objective of 50x. What is this
microscope's total magnification?
A. Label the parts of the microscope below by putting your answers inside the box

B. Fill in table 1 with the names and functions of each microscope part above.

Part Name Function

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.