College of Nursing

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

LABORATORY

ACTIVITY #01
THE MICROSCOPE AND MICROSCOPY

I. ACTIVITY FOCUS:

1. To become familiar with the parts and functions of the microscope.

2. To be able to identify the parts of the microscope.

II. DRAW AND LABEL (DONE)

The compound microscope

III. QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

1. What is a microscope?
- A microscope is an instrument used to observe organisms that are small to be seen by the naked eye. It
allows us to magnify an organism to observe at it in detail.

2. What are the functions of the microscope that you just have utilized?
- Microscopes are instruments that are used in science laboratories,  to visualize very minute objects such
as cells, microorganisms, giving a contrasting image, that is magnified. It is also used to identify bacteria
and viruses for further analyzation.

3. What advantages are desired using LPO? (Give 3)

- The LPO or low power objective enables us to focus our lens on an organism with ease. We can cover a larger
field of view and get sharper, crisper images. Low power objective does not need to examine each field in
minute detail.

4. What advantages are desired using HPO? (Give 3)

- The HPO or high power objective has the advantage of providing a higher magnification, allowing us to "zoom"
in closer to the item we are studying and see more detail. It also allows us to see a smaller portion of the specimen
but at a higher magnification -- up to 40x. The high-power objective lens provides the finest mix of magnification
and resolution.

5. Give the parts of the microscope and give the functions of each.

a.Eyepiece or ocular lens- Eyepiece is the lens, present at the top and is used to see the objects under study.
Eyepiece lens contains a magnification of 10X or 15X.

b. Tube- Tube or the body tube, connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses.

c. Resolving nosepiece- It is also known as the Turret. Resolving nosepiece has holders for the different
objective lenses. It allows the rotation of the lenses while viewing.

d. Objective lenses- Generally, three or four objective lenses are found on a microscope, with ranges of 10X,
40X, 100X powers. Lenses are colour coded, the shortest lens is of the lowest power, and the longest lens is high
power lenses.

e. Diaphragm- Diaphragm helps in controlling the amount of light that is passing through the opening of the
stage. It is helpful in the adjustment of the control of light that enters.

f. Coarse adjustment knob- Used for focus on scanning. Usually the low power lens is used enabling the
movement of the tube.
 g. Fine adjustment knob- Used for focus on oil. Moves the body tube for focussing the high power lens.

h. Arm- It supports the tube of the microscope and connects to the base of the microscope.

i. Stage- The platform that is flat used for placing the slides under observation.

j. Stage clip- Stage clips hold the slides in proper place.

k. Condensor- The main function of condenser lens is focussing the light on the specimen under
observation. When very high powers of 400X are used, condenser lenses are very important. Presence of
condenser lens gives a sharper image as compared to the microscope with no condenser lens.

l. Base- Provides basal support for the microscope.

m. Power switch- The main power switch that turns the illumination on or off.

n. Aperture- The hole in the stage through which the base (transmitted) light reaches the stage.

6. Give 5 types of microscope and describe.

A. Stereo microscope- is an optical microscope that provides a three-dimensional view of a specimen. It is also known
by other names such as dissecting microscope and stereo zoom microscope.  

B. Compound microscope- a high power (high magnification) microscope that uses a compound lens system.

C. Inverted microscopes- have both the light source and condenser set up high above the stage and pointing down
toward the stage, while the objectives and objective turret are located beneath the stage pointing up.

D. Metallurgical microscopes- are specially-designed microscopes that are used for metallurgical evaluation,
including the assessment of metals, ceramics and other materials. Specialty uses of these devices include measuring
thin films and electroplating coatings.

E. Polarizing microscopes- are used to observe the birefringent properties of anisotropic specimens by monitoring
image contrast or color changes.

7. Give at least 5 people who contributed to the development of a microscope and state their contributions.

A. Hans and Zacharias Janssen- a Dutch father-son team that invented the first so-called compound microscope
in the late 16th century when they discovered that, if they put a lens at the top and bottom of a tube and looked
through it, objects on the other end became magnified. 

B. Anton van Leeuwenhoek- began polishing and grinding lenses when he discovered that certain shaped lenses
increased an image’s size.The glass lenses that he created could enlarge an object many times. The quality of his
lenses allowed him, for the first in history, to see the many microscopic animals, bacteria and intricate detail of
common objects.

C. Ernst Leitz- devised a way to allow for different magnifications using one microscope by putting multiple
lenses on a movable turret at the end of the lens tube.

D. Charles Spencer-demonstrated that light affected how images were seen. It took over one hundred years to
develop a microscope that worked without light.

E. August Kohler- is credited with inventing a way to provide uniform microscope illumination that allowed
specimens to be photographed.

8. Give 5 ways in the proper care of a microscope.

A. Store in a clean, dry place

 Make sure you do not store your microscope in an area that has corrosive chemical fumes that can
destroy lenses or metal parts or beside solutions that may leak. Salt air and pervasive damp can also cause
damage over time. Make sure your cabinet is ventilated.

B. Only use special lens paper or wipes for cleaning the lenses
Microscope lenses can easily be scratched and should be treated with great care. Use an aspirator to remove
dust. Sticky residue can be removed with lens paper moistened with distilled water or lens cleaning solution and
rubbed gently using a circular motion. Never use sharp instruments or anything abrasive on the microscope lenses.

C. Keep your User's Manual and wrenches in a safe place

Each microscope should come with a user's manual and specialist wrenches as required. Always consult the
User's Manual before making any adjustments to your microscope and use the wrenches provided. Never over-
tighten or use force when performing any maintenance on your microscope, or use inappropriate tools. This can
damage the parts.

D. Perform an annual maintenance check

On an annual basis moving parts on the microscope should be cleaned and lubricated. Clean grease and
dirt from sliding surfaces using a clean cloth. Apply a very thin layer of lithium-based grease to the sliding surfaces.
Do not grease the teeth of the rack and pinion gears. Inspect the power cords and plugs for safety and stock up on a
supply of replacement bulbs.

E. Have your microscope serviced professionally

A rule of thumb for frequency of servicing is every 200 hours of use or every 3 years, whichever comes
first.

9. How is the image formed in a microscope?

When light from the microscope lamp passes through the condenser and then through the specimen (assuming
the specimen is a light absorbing specimen), some of the light passes both around and through the specimen
undisturbed in its path. Such light is called direct light or undeviated light. The background light (often called
the surround) passing around the specimen is also undeviated light. On the other hand, some of the light passing
through the specimen is deviated when it encounters parts of the specimen.

10. What is magnification?

Magnification is the factor by which an image appears to be enlarged. It will be a whole number greater than
1 and is usually followed by an “x”, as in 10x magnification.