Introduction to the Microscope: Lab Activity

Microscopes are tools used to enlarge images of small objects so as they can be studied.
The compound light microscope is an instrument containing two magnifying lenses and a variety
of knobs to resolve (focus) the picture.
- Magnification: ability to enlarge an image
- Resolution: ability to produce a clear image
- Field of View: the circle of light that you see when you look into the microscope. As
magnification increases, the field of view decreases.

I. Know your microscope.

1. Examine the microscope and label the parts in the diagram.

2. Indicate the function of each of the parts in the table below.
Microscope Labeling

Part
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.

Function

II. How to determine Total Magnification

Complete the table below for the 3 objectives

Eyepiece magnification
______________

(X)

Objective magnification
______________

Total Magnification
_____________X

Eyepiece magnification
______________

(X)

Objective magnification
______________

Total Magnification
_____________X

Eyepiece magnification
______________

(X)

Objective magnification
______________

Total Magnification
_____________X

III. Preparing a wet mount of the letter e

A. With your scissors cut out the letter "e" from the newspaper.
B. Place one or two drops of water in the
slide.

center of the

C. Place the letter e in the drop of water

D. Place a coverslip on top as shown
in diagram C and D. This
procedure prevents the
formation of air bubbles.

IV. Observing the letter e

A. Turn on the microscope and place the slide on the stage. Use the clips to secure it.
B. Using the low power objective, turn the coarse focus until the letter e can be seen.
C. Use the fine focus to focus clearly.
D. Draw what you see.
How is the letter e positioned?
___________________________________________
____________________________________________

E. Looking through the eye piece, move the slide to the right.
What direction does the letter move? ___________________________________
F. Looking through the eye piece, move the slide up, away from you.
What direction does the letter move? ___________________________________
G. Re-center the slide and change the objective to medium power. DO NOT TOUCH THE
COARSE FOCUS. Use the FINE FOCUS to focus.
H. Draw what you see.

I. Do you see more or less of the letter e under medium

power?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Locate the diaphragm under the stage. Move it around.
What do you notice?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

V. Depth of Field: Thread wet mount

A. Prepare a wet mount of a red and white thread. Make sure that the 2
threads cross each other as shown here.
B. Locate the threads under low power.
Can you see all the strands clearly at the same time? ____________________________
C. Change to medium power and observe the threads at the point where they cross.
D. Draw what you see.
Can you see all the strands clearly, at the same time?
______________________________________
Which color thread is in focus?
______________________________________

E. Change to high power and observe the strands at the point where they cross.
Can you see all the strands clearly at the same time? ___________________________
Which color thread is in focus? ____________________________________________

F. To see the strands at different depths you need to turn the fine focus while looking through
the microscope. Try it!

Microscope Scavenger Hunt

Cork: Take a look at what
Robert Hooke looked at in the
1600s!
-Use low magnification.
-Switch to medium power and
then high power.
-Draw the cells as Hooke did.
What are you really seeing?

Hydra. This is a relative of sea

anemones found in freshwater. It
attaches to rocks, and other
substrates.
- How many tentacles do you see?
______
How many cells do you think Hydra
has? __________
- Draw the hydra at low power and
label the tentacles.

Paramecium. This is a
unicellular organism. Just one
cell! They live in water.
- Using low power find a few
Paramecium (purple).
- Switch to medium power.
- Draw 2 Paramecium.

Pollen grains: This is what

pollen looks like.
- Use low magnification.
- How many different types of
pollen do you see? ________
- Change to medium power.
- Draw 3 different pollen
grains.

Frog Blood. Yes, frog blood.

- Using low power, look at the
purple dots.
- Switch to medium power and
focus.
- Switch to high power.
- What is the darker spot in the
middle? ______________
- Draw one red and one white
blood cell.

Adipose tissue. These are

cell that specialize in storing
fat.
- Using low power look at the
area with white spots.
- Switch to medium power and
focus.
- Switch to high power.
- Draw about 5 cells.
- Where is the nucleus? ____