Name: Jessica Le Date: 13 September 2020

Virtual Microscope by BIONETWORK ​ONLINE EDITION ​ ​ ​http://www.ncbionetwork.org/iet/microscope/

Instructions: You can use the “learn” tab to familiarize yourself with the virtual microscope. As you click on each of the
microscope parts, read the pop-up to answer the following.

1. Identify each of the following by letter.

K On/Off Switch C Eyepiece / Ocular Lens

J Arm F Nosepiece

G Objective Lenses D Stage

H Diaphragm E Stage Adjustment

M Base L Coarse Adjustment

A Lens Paper N Fine Adjustment

B Immersion Oil P Slide box

O Kimwipes

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2. Explain what each of the following does:

kimwipes Brand of special paper-based cleaning wipes to clean laboratory equipment,

instruments, camera lenses, fiber optic connectors, and other sensitive electronic
components.

immersion oil A special oil used exclusively with a 100x or higher objective lens, typically at 1000x
total power. The oil concentrates the path of light to increase the resolution of the
image.

diaphragm The diaphragm is most used at higher powers. The diaphragm adjusts the amount of
light passing through the stage opening.

stage adjustment knob The mechanical slide allows for adjustment of the slide position forward, back, and left
or right.

Go to the “EXPLORE” tab to view slides. You will need to use the coarse and fine focus and adjust the light to get clear
views of the following. The slide can also be moved within the viewing field.

Sample Slides - Letter E

3. Include a screenshot of the letter “e” at 10x. To take a screenshot, use the print screen on your keyboard or use your
phone to capture the screen. Insert the image in the space below. Your image should clearly show that you viewed the
“e” and focused it.

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4. What did you need to do before viewing the slide at 100x?

Before viewing the slide at 100x, I needed to slowly increase magnification in order to avoid damage to the
microscope. As well as, turning the nosepiece halfway and adding immersion oil, then snap the lense back into
place.

5. A common mistake for beginners is thinking that the “e” just disappears at the high magnification. How would you
explain to a younger student what happened to the e as you increase the magnification?

To explain to a younger student that the “e” does not disappear at the high magnification, I would explain that the
microscope zooms closer into the image and focuses on only one part of the letter meaning that the “e” is still
there, but just not fully seen.

Plant Cells

Return to the slide box and choose plant slides → plant cells. Focus with 4x, 10x, and 40x. You may need to adjust the
light and center your slide.

6. Include a screenshot of the plant cells at 40x.

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7. Plant cells can be identified by their boxy appearance, where lines represent cell walls. Within the cell are green
circles which are chloroplasts and a dark gray area which represents the nucleus.

At 40x, how many individual cells can be seen in the viewing field? 15

Human Blood

Return to the slide box and choose human → blood Focus with 4x, 10x, and 40x. You may need to adjust the light and
center your slide.

8. Include a screenshot of the blood cells at 40x.

9. Blood cells can be identified by their round appearance. Unlike plant cells, they do not have cell walls.
At 40x, how many individual blood cells can be seen in the viewing field? 136

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10. At 100x, you will see a cell that is larger and has a dark shape in it. This cell doesn’t look like the others because it is
a white blood cell and it functions to protect your body against microbes. Red blood cells do not have a nucleus. White
blood cell count is used as a diagnostic tool to determine if someone is sick. If you were fighting an infection, would you
expect to have more or less WBC’s? Why?

If you were fighting an infection, I would expect more white blood cells because white blood cells fight against the
infections, which means we should expect there to be more to counter against it.

Synthesis and Discussion

11. ​Compare​ blood cells to plant cells, include details about color, general shape, and size. Write this as a complete
sentence or paragraph.

When comparing blood cells to plant cells, the blood cells shape are circular, while the plant cells have cell walls
that look more like straight lines. There is a difference when comparing the blood cells to plant cells. The plant
cells are green, while the blood cells in the picture have a purple/pink tint. At 40x, the plant cells appeared much
closer and bigger, while the blood cells are still big enough to count easily.

12. Explore bacteria slides. You don’t need to screenshot them. Compare the bacteria slides to the blood cells and
include details about their color, general shape, and size. Write this as a complete sentence or paragraph.

On the virtual microscope, I viewed the acid fast mix slide. When comparing this bacteria slide to the blood cells,
the acid fast mix was specks scattered around, while the blood cells were circular. Compared to the blood cells,
the acid fast mix specks were very small. The acid mix were black, while the blood cells were purple/pink.

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