MACFI SCIENCE TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

Quezon Blvd., Lamitan City, Basilan

Name: Date: Score:

Grade/ Year & Section: Subject:
Activity Title: Using the Compound Light Microscope Activity No: 7
Reference (s): Estrellita A. Madriaga, 2017, Science Links 7 Worktext for Scientific and Technological Literacy, Rex Book Store,
Manila pp. 98-99

Learning Target/s:
a. Focus specimen using the compound light microscope.

I. LEARNING EXPERIENCE:
a. Concept Notes

When you are observing a specimen using a compound microscope, the actual image (called
virtual image) of the specimen you are observing is enlarged several times by the combined
magnifying power of the lenses in the ocular and objectives. The magnifying power of the microscope
is computed using the formula: ocular x objective

b. Laboratory Activity

Always use both hands when carrying the microscope. One hand holds the arm
LAB while the other hand supports the base because these microscope are large,
SAFETY heavy and expensive.

Materials: Microscope, Prepared Slide, Pencil, Worksheet

Procedure:
A. Calculate the magnifying power of the microscope.
1. Look for the engraved magnifying power of the ocular and the objective of your microscope.
2. Compute for the total magnification when using Scanner, LPO, and HPO.
3. Record your data in Table 1.
B. Observing Specimen Using a Compound Light Microscope.
1. Prepare a wet mount of a lower case letter e cut from a newspaper. Add a drop of water to the letter e so it
sticks on the slide. Put cover slip. This is your specimen to be observed under the microscope.
2. Gather light using the mirror. Manipulate the diaphragm to regulate the intensity of the light.
3. Place the specimen slide on the stage. Look into the ocular and adjust the LPO using the coarse and fine
adjustment knob to focus.
4. Draw the letter e as it appears on the slide and as it appears under the LPO of the microscope in table 2.
5. Move the slide from left to right, then up and down. Observe the direction of the movement of the
specimen.
6. Slowly rotate the nosepiece to shift to HPO. Be careful so the HPO will not hit the stage. Focus the specimen
using the fine adjustment screw.
7. Write your observations.
Observations:
Table 1.
Eyepiece Objective Total Magnification
Scanner

LPO

HPO

Table 2.

Letter e as it appears on the slide Letter e as viewed under LPO Letter e as viewed under HPO

c. Processing Questions:
1. Letter x represents an object seen under the field of view of a microscope. How will you move the slide
to put the specimen at the center of the field?

2. Why should the fine adjustment screw be used only with the HPO?

d. Framing Concepts
Direction: Complete the statement.

I discovered that
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