BSC109 Virtual Microscope Instructions

Objective: In this activity, you will utilize a virtual microscope. You will complete the assignment by
taking screenshots of the cell images you are able to resolve. These images along with your question
answers will combine to form your assignment.

Taking a Screenshot: You might find the following links helpful…

If you’re using a Windows PC:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-pc/
If you’re using a Mac:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361

Introduction:

The development of the microscope as a scientific tool led to discovery of an entire world of things
previously too small to be seen! Microscopes enabled direct observation of things too tiny for the
human eye to see, like individual cells.

One of the first microscopes to be developed and one that is still in common use is the compound
light microscope. ‘Compound’ means it uses a combination of lenses and ‘light’ refers to the fact that
it relies on visible light for to see the target object. This is the type of microscope that we will learn
about in this lab (albeit virtually!). Today, there are many other types of microscopes available to
researchers. The type used depends on the needs of that researcher. For example, the type of
sample (alive, dead, thick, thin, etc) and how small the desired item to be visualized.

The compound light microscope can typically magnify between 40X to 1000X (the ‘X’ is referred to as
“times”, so you would say “forty times”). This makes it suitable for our purposes, which are to view
things like cells and certain cellular parts. Newer types of microscopes include electron microscopes
which have a much higher magnification, up to 50,000,000X. Electron microscopes use a beam of
electrons (instead of light) to reveal features of a specimen as small as 1 nm. You cannot use your
naked eye to see the results from an electron microscope, rather computers are used to view the
images.
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind as you begin to use the compound light microscope
is that in order to work the light must shine through the specimen. In other words, the specimen must
be thin enough to allow light through. Relatively large, 3D objects (for example a whole onion as
opposed to a slice of an onion) will not allow enough light to pass through to create a clear visual.
Nonetheless, remember that the sample you are viewing, however thin, still has three dimensions.
Focusing on just one visual plane (one section) of even specimens that are thin to start with is often
the trickiest part!

1
Part I: Learning to use the microscope

1. Learn about a compound light microscope by watching the video and identifying the parts at
https://courses.ecampus.oregonstate.edu/oer/microscope/

2. When you’re ready to start this lab activity, access the virtual microscope at
https://virtualscope.dbi.udel.edu/scope

3. This activity is designed to simulate what it is like to use a real compound light microscope.
This will require a lot of ‘clicking’ to manipulate the controls of the microscope similar to how
you would have to manipulate controls on a physical
microscope in a traditional lab. Begin by practicing to
capture images using the slide of the letter ‘e’. To load
this slide, click on the appropriate slide in the top-right
corner of the screen.

4. Be sure you have turned on the light source, increased

the brightness to ‘10’ and opened the iris. Make sure that your ‘low’ power objective lens
(4X) is in place.
a. This will provide a total magnification of 40X (10X ocular lens x 4X objective lens =
40X).

5. Using the stage controls, move the dark spot on the slide so that it is in the center of the light
path as shown

6. Click on the ‘Switch Views’ button to view the image through the microscope. You may need
to first adjust the ocular lenses so that they line up

>>>

7. Using the Course Adjustment knob (large wheel in the lower right corner), move the stage up
until the image of the ‘e’ comes into view as shown:

>>>

2
 8. Now, use the stage control knobs immediately to the right of the image to center the image
directly in the light path as shown

>>>

*For best results, use the red ring visible on the slide as an indicator of focus. Be
sure to get the red ring centered in the image.

9. Now, increase the magnification. Dragging the objective

lens ring, move the 10X lens (100X total magnification) into
place as shown. You can adjust fine focus using the
smaller focus ring located in the lower right corner of the
screen to keep the red ring in perfect focus.

10. As a final step, you can now increase magnification to 400X

(40X objective). Move the slide and adjust focus so that the
horizontal line in the inverted ‘e’ is visible along with a
portion of the red ring.

11. To complete this part of the lab activity, practice taking a screenshot of the image you see and
saving it to your computer.

Part II: Onion root cell images

1. Now we let’s look at some cells taken from a thin slice of an onion root. To get the onion slide,
return to the ‘Looking at Microscope’ view by clicking ‘Switch View’ in the top left.

2. Return the 4X objective into place and click on the slide labeled ‘onion root tip’ in the top right
corner of the page. This will load the new slide onto the stage.

3. Repeat the above steps to align the onion cells into the field of view and begin to zoom in.
When all set up with the 4X lens, you can proceed to the next higher magnification.

4. To complete this portion of this lab activity, take screenshots at the following resolutions and
paste them into the appropriate sections of your lab report: 40X Magnification (4X Objective),
100X Magnification (10X Objective), and 400X Magnification (40X Objective).

References
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/
http://zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/articles/basics/index.html