Name: Sohail A.

Saripada Rating:
Laboratory Schedule: TTh Date Performed: Aug.30, 2021
Laboratory Instructor: Ms. Psyche Karren Ann Jondonero

DATA SHEET

EXERCISE 1
THE MICROSCOPE

V. RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS

A. Draw, color, and label the parts of a compound microscope.

The Compound Microscope
B. In the table below, enumerate the parts of a compound microscope and
indicate the function of each.

Part Function
Head (Body) In compound microscopes with two eye pieces there are
prisms contained in the body that will also split the beam of
light to enable you to view the image through both eye pieces.

Arm The arm connects the base of the microscope to the

head/body of the microscope.

Base The base is the last structural piece of the microscope. The
base is at the bottom of the microscope and is used to support
the microscope

Eyepiece The eyepiece, also known as the “Ocular”, is the

first magnification lens you will look through in a compound
microscope. Put simply, this is where you put your eye to see
the image.

Eyepiece Tube The eyepiece tube, also known as the body tube, holds the
eyepiece in place and is the bridge between the eyepiece and
the objective lens. 

Objective Lenses Objective lenses are arguably the most identifiable parts of a
microscope because these are the lenses you see pointing at
the specimen. You will usually find 3 or 4 objective lenses and
they can range in magnification power from 4X, 10X, 40X, to
100X.

Revolving Nosepiece The nosepiece is where the objective lenses are screwed in

and can be rotated to easily change to the next objective lens.

Rack Stop A rack stop is a part that prevents the stage from being raised
too far and hitting the objective lens. It doesn’t take much to
damage an objective lens, so this is a very important part.

Coarse Adjustment The coarse adjustment knobs are used to obviously focus the

Knobs microscope by raising and lowering the stage closer or further
away from the objective lens but the reason it is called
“coarse” is because the movement of the coarse adjustment
knobs will move the stage more rapidly than the fine
adjustment knobs. 

Fine Adjustment Fine adjustment knobs in contrast to the coarse adjustment

Knobs knobs are going to move the stage much slower and give you
much more control over the movement up or down of the
stage. The fine adjustment knobs are used at the high power
levels. On some microscopes the fine adjustment knob very
quietly clicks giving you additional auditory indicators to help
you focus your specimen.

Stage The stage is where the specimen is placed for examination

under the microscope. The stage is a flat platform that moves
up and down by turning the coarse and fine adjustment knobs.
The movement closer or further away from the objective lens
is what allows the specimen to come into focus.
Stage Clips Stage clips hold the slide in place. If you have the true stage
clips, they work just like clips. They are forced down by a
 spring and you just lift the clip and put the slide underneath.
The clip will keep the slide in place. 

Aperture The aperture is the hole in the centre of the microscope stage
where light makes its way to the stage. Numerical aperture is
related but it is more of a concept related to the angle of the
cone of light that shines through the stage than a component
part of the microscope. 

Illuminator The illuminator as you can probably derive from the name, is
the light source of the microscope. Most microscopes have a
built in 110 volt steady light source that shines up through the
microscope stage aperture.

Condenser The condenser is used to capture and focus the light up

through the stage. The condenser lenses have the most utility
at higher magnification powers like 400X and above and
microscopes that have condenser lenses will be able to render
a sharper image than those without and the 400X and above
range.

Diaphragm The Diaphragm, also called “Iris”, is located under

the stage and is used to adjust and change the intensity and
size of the cone of light that shines up through the side. This is
done by a rotating disc under the stage that has different sized
holes for the light to shine through

C. Magnification

2. Magnification of macroscopic specimen (butterfly)

 X = _______ X = _______ X = _______
Reduced Same size Enlarged

VI. CONCLUSION
VII. GUIDE QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think the microscope is considered an indispensable instrument in

the study of living things?

- The microscope is important because biology mainly deals with the study of
cells (and their contents), genes, and all organisms.
Some organisms are so small which can only be achieved by a microscope. Cells
are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Genetics is the study of variations in an organism generation after generation.
Genetic engineering requires mixing of genes. Genes are even smaller than cells,
which is why microscopes are essential to genetics.
Without the microscope, biology would not have been so developed and many
diseases would still have no cure.

2. Using short sentences, list down at least 3 habits/guidelines which you should
develop/observe in the care and use of the microscope.
a. Do not touch the glass part of the lenses with your fingers.

b. Use only special lens paper to clean the lenses.

c. Always keep your microscope covered when not in use.

3. In light microscopy, what is the role of a mounting medium?

- The main purpose of mounting media is to physically protect the specimen; the
mounting medium bonds specimen, slide and coverslip together with a clear
durable film. The medium is important for the image formation as it affects the
specimen's rendition. 

4. Which adjustment knob produces greater movement?

- Coarse Adjustment Knob

5. What is the position of the image when viewed under the microscope?

- The optics of a microscope's lenses change the orientation of the image that
the user sees. A specimen that is right-side up and facing right on the
microscope slide will appear upside-down and facing left when viewed
through a microscope, and vice versa.

6. Why do you use immersion oil when using the oil immersion objective?

- In light microscopy, oil immersion is a technique used to increase the

resolving power of a microscope. This is achieved by immersing both the
objective lens and the specimen in a transparent oil of high refractive index,
thereby increasing the numerical aperture of the objective lens.
7. What is a diaphragm? What does it do?

- The Diaphragm, also called “Iris”, is located under the stage and is used to

adjust and change the intensity and size of the cone of light that shines up
through the side. This is done by a rotating disc under the stage that has
different sized holes for the light to shine through.