The Compound Microscope

INTRODUCTION

The microscope is one of the principal tools of the biologist. It was invented through
the efforts of Dutch scientist Anton Van Leeuwenhoek. In the laboratory, the microscope
serves as a very useful tool to help you discover the fascinating secrets of the living world
which the unaided eye cannot see. In this exercise, you will study the proper use and care
of this delicate instrument. The microscope is one of the principal tools of the biologist
and was invented through the efforts of Dutch scientist Anton Van Leeuwenhoek. Antonie
Van Leeuwenhoek, also known as “Dutch of microscopist”, was born on October 24,
1632, he was raised at Delft, Netherlands. While on August 26, 1723 Anton Van
Leeuwenhoek died. Additionally, he was the first to discover bacteria and protozoa and
his observations helped lay the foundations for the sciences of bacteriology and
protozoology. A microscope, came from the greek word mikrós, means “small”, is an
instrument used to see objects that are too small to be seen by a naked eye. With that
being said, there are different types of microscopes that are used for microscopy. Some
of these are Simple Microscope, Compound Microscope, and Stereo Microscope etc. For
this project, the group used Compound Microscope to attain the certain tasks. Compound
Microscope is a gadget that is used to magnify images through a glass slide. Moreover,
it can achieve higher levels of magnification than stereo or other low power microscopes
and reduce chromatic aberration. These compound microscopes can magnify specimens
enough that the user can see cells, bacteria, algae and protozoa.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the period, students should be able to:

1. Identify the parts of a compound microscope and learn the function of each part;

2. Manipulate the different parts correctly.

3. Compute for the magnification of drawing.

4. Differentiate the low power objective from the high power objective in relation to
the size of the field of vision, magnification, and resolving power.
C. GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. In which direction does the image of the letter “e” appear to move in each case?

2. In what direction does the image appear to move in each case?

3. Is there a change in the level of brightness of the field of view when the objective is shifted from LPO to HPO?
Describe the change.

4. What portion of the letter “e” is magnified under HPO?

5. Is there an increase or a decrease in the area of specimen seen?

6. Is the orientation of the letter “e” changed by shifting from LPO to HPO?

7. If the tail end of the letter “e” is to be viewed under HPO, where should it (tail end) be positioned under LPO
before shifting into the HPO?

8. To ensure easier focusing, what should be done first before the HPO is swung into position?

9. When one thread is in focus, are the other threads in focus too?

10. What is the color sequence of the threads from bottom to top?

11. When one thread is in focus, are the other threads in focus too?

12. In which objective is it easier to determine the sequence of the colored threads? Why?