Topic 2-Microscopes and Microscopy

TABLE 2-1. Total Magnification for Various Objective/Ocular Combinations

Objective
Lens
Scanning
Low
High

Objective
Magnification
4x
10x
40x

Ocular
Magnification
10x
10x
10x

Total
Magnification
40x
100x
400x

Questions: A. Focusing, Working Distance, Brightness, and Image Orientation

1. As you changed from scanning power to high power, how did the working distance vary?
Working distance decreases as the magnification gets higher.
2. As you changed from scanning power to high power, what changes did you observe in the
brightness of the field?
Field of view is getting smaller with increased magnification
3. What is the orientation of the letter e as you look at it under scanning or low power? Upside down
4. Sketch the image as it appears when looking at it through the microscope.
(Sketch and upside down/backwards e)
5. Move the slide to your right while looking into the microscope. Which way did the image
move?
Left
6. Move the slide away from you. In which direction did the image move?

Downward/toward you

7. Suppose you were looking at a small, motile organism in a drop of water under the microscope.
The organism was moving across your field of view from left to right as you observed it under
the microscope, and was about to move out of the field. In which direction would you need to
move the slide to bring the organism back into the center of the field?
Move right. When the slide is moved right, things in the field of view move to the left.
Questions: B. Field of View
TABLE 2-2. Diameter of Field of View under Various Magnifications
Objective Lens
Scanning (measured)
Low (measured)
High (calculated)

Diameter in mm
Answer will vary
Answer will vary
Answer will vary

Diameter in m
Answer will vary
Answer will vary
Answer will vary

Questions: C. Depth of Focus

2. Using the scanning objective, focus on the point where the three threads cross. Which thread do
you think is on top? In the middle? At the bottom?
Yellow; Red; Blue (Answers will vary depending on which slide used)
Questions:
1. Reorder the threads, if necessary, now that you have seen them under high power and record
below the order of the threads from top to bottom as you determine them to be.
Yellow, red, blue (Answer may vary depending on which slide is used)
2. At which magnification did you find the greatest depth of focus?

Scanning

3. What is the relationship between magnification of the objective and depth of focus?
Higher magnification decreases the depth of focus.
Questions: B. Provision of ContrastBacteria of the Human Mouth
1. What do you observe? Sketch the cells.
(Sketched drawing)
2. Are these cells more easily visible than those of the same type found in the hay infusion?
May differ for each student depending on how long the hay infusion ahs been in H2O
and how well the smear was done.
Questions: III. The Stereoscopic Dissecting Microscope
1. What is the advantage of one type of light over the other?
Advantage of transmitted light: able to see the entire slide of a whole mount that is too
large to view on a compound microscope.
Advantage of reflected light: able to see large specimens and see detail of small
specimens.
2. How do you adjust the brightness of the light?

Using the light adjust knob.