Group Number: 1 Gr.

and Sec: 12-Ruby

Observation of Small Letter ‘e’ and Human Hair Strand through Microscopy

OBJECTIVES
I. To be able to understand and identify the different parts of a microscope and their uses.
II. To be able to assemble and disassemble a microscope
III. To be able to see the given microscopic specimens; hair strand and the smallest printed letter
e.

MATERIALS
● Microscope
● Glass slide and cover slip
● Dropper
● Small letter "e" in a newspaper.
● Strand of black and white hair

PROCEDURE
I. Prepare the materials needed such as white and black hair strand, small printed letter “e” and
the microscope.

II. Set up the microscope, get it out of the box carefully, hold it on the arm and on the base and
gently place it on a desk. After that, unwrap the cover of the microscope.

III. Assemble the microscopes, get the ocular lens and the objective lenses out of the box.
Remove the cover to plug in the ocular lens inside the eye piece. After, gently put the objective
lenses (LPO and HPO) on the revolving nosepiece.

IV. Ready the specimens by putting it on the glass slide. Put the letter e on the center and place a
one drop of water on top of it, then, cover it with a cover slip. Do the same process in the black
and white hair strands, make sure that the position of the hair strands are crossed or
intersecting from each other.

V. Find enough source of light to be bound in the mirror. Adjust the mirror so that the light
shine through the stage, check on the eyepiece if there is already enough source of light, if you
can’t see any light through the eyepiece, adjust the diaphragm under the stage so that a medium
amount of light gets through. If it lacks a light source you can use the flashlight of your
cellphones.

VI. Place the prepared glass slides on the stages of both microscopes, center them, and secure
with stage clips. Observe the letter "e" and hair strands under low power objective (LPO),
adjusting the coarse and fine adjustment knobs as needed, and take pictures for analysis.
(If you can’t see the objects, check the light source and adjust the coarse and fine adjustment
knob.)

VII. Switch to the high power objective (HPO) and repeat the observation process, adjusting the
fine and coarse adjustment knobs, and take additional pictures to serve as proof of the findings.

VIII. Remove and safely store the slides, clean the microscope parts (eyepiece and objective
lenses), and wrap the microscope in plastic before placing it back in its box. Clean the workspace
thoroughly and ensure all equipment is properly stored.

FINDINGS

I. Small letter “e

The image below is a lowercase letter "e" taken through a microscope using a 10x ocular
lens and a Low-Power objective lens. The image displays a 40x level of magnified inverted letter
"e," with discernible ink marks forming the inverted shape.

Image 1.0

The second image depicts another lowercase letter "e" as observed under the
microscope using a High-power objective lens. This image provides a more magnified view
(400x) of a specific part of the letter "e."
 Image 2.0

2. Black and White hair strand

Image 1.0 shows the observation under a microscope using the low power objective
(LPO). This image presents the intersection between black and white hair strands. And offers
only a 40x level of magnification .

Image 1.0

The image 2.0 shows the observation under a microscope using the high power objective
(HPO). This image reveals more visible differences between the black and white hair strands and
provides a clearer and more magnified representation at 400x.
 Image 2.0

Results and Discussions

1.Small Letter “e”

1.1 Small letter “e” in L.P.O

The small letter "e" was mirrored, and thus appeared upside down and backward due to
the eyepiece and objects reflected light. When viewed at some angle, the specimen might
resemble a thread and web, you can also see a leopard like print in it, and this is because of the
ink. The ink droplets are created by an inkjet printer's nozzle and are directed by the paper
plant fibers because newspapers are mostly made of flattened plant fibers. The letter "e" would
be shown as quite larger in shape, hazy and vague when viewed via LPO with 100x
magnification. The essential characteristic of the small letter "e" shape would be visible, but it
would be without specific details and definition.

1.2 Small letter “e” in H.P.O

Based on the observation, in comparing the two images captured from low power
objective lens (LPO) and high power objective lens (HPO), we concluded that HPO lenses
provide a clearer image of the letter e. Due to 400x magnification of HPO, we were able to see a
much clearer and refined image of the magnified small part of the printed letter "e". The
magnified small part appears to be individual strands which are connected to each other
resembling the appearance of tangled pipes. The tangled pipe's appearance of the magnified
part of the printed letter "e" is because of the fibers which are present on the ingredients of ink,
specifically optical fiber coloring ink which is frequently used in printed papers.
2. Black and White Hair Strand

2.1 Black and White Hair Strand in L.P.O

When the black and white hairstand is looked at with a low-power objective (LPO) with
a magnifying power of 10x, significant differences can be noticed between the black and white
strands. Black hair strands appear as uniform structures with a smooth texture. The dark
pigmentation (melanin) is visible even at this lower magnification, giving the hair a darker, more
opaque appearance. The white hair, on the other hand, appears more translucent and less
uniform,
and we noticed that there is a whiter layer in the middle of the hair stand. It also lacks
pigmentation
due to the lack of melanin in the white hair strand. The strands have a similar cylindrical shape,
but the lack of melanin makes the internal structure less visible compared to black hair.

2.2 Black and White Hair Strand in H.P.O

Using a high-powered objective lens (HPO) to examine white and black hair strands
beneath a microscope is another example. At 400x magnification, finer details become visible. It
looks like the black hair strand is totally opaque, giving the appearance of a much darker hue.
The shape of the black hair strand was also a lot more noticeable, with it being more cylindrical
in shape. On the other hand, the white hair strand looks more transparent compared to the black
hair strand, and it is also a lot thinner in diameter or width. Additionally, it can be noticed that
the white hair strands have a hollow part in the middle.

There are several explanations for the observed hair features. The quantity of pigment
cells called melanin within the hair follicle is what causes the color difference between the white
and black hair strands. The white hair strand is caused by a deficiency in eumelanin, whereas
the black hair strand appears black due to its excess. Furthermore, the way that hair transmits
light is also influenced by the presence of melanin. Hair becomes opaque when melanin levels
are high, whereas it becomes transparent when melanin levels are low. Moving forward, the
white hair strand has a hollow in the middle because the hair follicle is a tube-like structure. It is
visible due to the lack of melanin in the white hair strand.

Conclusion

During our observation, we looked into how low-power objective (LPO) and high-power
objective (HPO) lenses in microscopy differ by examining two samples: printed small letter "e"
and a strand of black and white hair. The LPO lens gave us a view, making it easier for
observations, but didn't show intricate details. On the contrary, the HPO lens allowed us to zoom
in closer for a detailed examination of the samples.

We also saw a rather huge difference between the black and white hair strands. The white ones
were more transparent, most probably because they lack melanin. We noticed also that the
printed small letter "e" was inverted and depicted finer details especially when it was under the
HPO, hence the effect of higher magnification.
The results of this experiment improved our knowledge of microscopy methods in general and
the useful applications of LPO and HPO lenses in particular. It also helped us understand how
details that are normally invisible to the human eye can be revealed through microscopic
examination.

DOCUMENTATION

REFERENCES
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/traits/haircolor/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0C
MTEAAR1EpDMP-bWf-32Q7A0ftkeYYHVgkPIV7YOxLTqhQVtuZJV8wrs0OomNweE_aem_DhU5v
W0VQAho1KjaUlVD1w#:~:text=Hair%20color%20is%20determined%20by,pheomelanin%2C
%20gives%20people%20red%20hair

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23435-hair-follicle?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTE
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