Jasmin C Damian

BSES 1-1
Biol 1108 Lab B

MICROSCOPY TASK

A. Draw the following:

*Hay Infusion (LPO and HPO)
*Onion Cell (LPO and HPO)
*Cheek Cell (LPO and HPO)

B. Give the functions of the following parts of microscope

 PARTS FUNCTIONS

A. Mechanical Parts

Ocular/ Eyepiece A small tube consisting of lenses that indicate the relative
power of magnification. It magnify the intermediate
image so that specimen details can be observed. Focuses
the light rays from the primary to form a sharp image on
the retina of the eye.

High Power Objective The high-powered objective lens (also called “high
dry” lens) is ideal for observing fine details within a
specimen sample. The total magnification of a high-
power objective lens combined with a 10x eyepiece is
equal to 400x magnification, giving you a very
detailed picture of the specimen in your slide.

Low Power Objective The low power objective lens has more magnification
power than the scanning objective lens, and it is one
of the most helpful lenses when it comes to observing
and analyzing glass slide samples. The total
magnification of a low power objective lens combined
with a 10x eyepiece lens is 100x magnification,
giving you a closer view of the slide than a scanning
objective lens without getting too close for general
viewing purposes.

Oil Immersion Objective The oil immersion objective lens provides the most
powerful magnification, with a whopping
magnification total of 1000x when combined with a
10x eyepiece. But the refractive index of air and your
glass slide are slightly different, so a special
immersion oil must be used to help bridge the gap.
Without adding a drop of immersion oil, the oil
immersion objective lens will not function correctly,
the specimen will appear blurry, and you will not
achieve an ideal magnification or resolution. Oil
immersion lenses are also available from some
manufacturers in lower magnifications, and provide
higher resolution than their "high dry" counterparts.
 B. Illuminating Parts
Mirror The mirror is used to focus light up through the hole in
the microscope’s stage, or slide platform. The slides will
contain a thin slice of material through which the light can
shine, to reveal the internal structure of the sample.
Mirrors on the exterior of microscopes are there to reflect
ambient light (especially sunlight) under the slide being
viewed to illuminate it.

Iris Diaphragm It is also known as the iris. It is found under the stage of
the microscope and its primary role is to control the
amount of light that reaches the specimen. It is an
adjustable apparatus, hence controlling the light intensity
and the size of the beam of light that gets to the specimen.
For high-quality microscopes, the diaphragm comes
attached with an Abbe condenser and combined they are
able to control the light focus and light intensity that
reaches the specimen.

Condenser These are lenses that are used to collect and focus light
from the illuminator into the specimen. They are found
under the stage next to the diaphragm of the microscope.
They play a major role in ensuring clear sharp images are
produced with a high magnification of 400X and above.
The higher the magnification of the condenser, the more
the image clarity. More sophisticated microscopes come
with an Abbe condenser that has a high magnification of
about 1000X.

C. Mechanical Parts

Base It acts as microscopes support. It also carriers the

microscopic illuminators.

Pillar The part that extends upward from the base to support all
other parts and to hold the stage. It is a small, strong
vertical projection developing from the foot.

Inclination Joint It is a joint, wherein the arm is fastened to the compound

microscope’s pillar. The microscope can be tilted using
the inclination joint. It is also called inclination hinge, the
portion that allows tilting of the microscope at a desired
angle.
Arm This is the part connecting the base and to the head and
the eyepiece tube to the base of the microscope. It gives
support to the head of the microscope and it also used
when carrying the microscope. Some high-quality
microscopes have an articulated arm with more than one
joint allowing more movement of the microscopic head
for better viewing.

Body Tube The microscope body tube separates the objective and the
eyepiece and assures continuous alignment of the optics.
It is a standardized length, anthropometrically related to
the distance between the height of a bench or tabletop (on
which the microscope stands) and the position of the
seated observer’s eyes. It is typically fitted with a rotating
turret that permits objectives of different powers to be
interchanged with the assurance that the image position
will be maintained. 

Draw Tube At one time "all good instruments" had a body tube
equipped with an inner sliding draw tube. This tube
enabled users to adjust the mechanical tube length when
certain accessories were screwed on between the eyepiece
and objective, or when using objectives designed for
longer mechanical tube lengths. Today's microscopes no
longer have or need such a device.

Revolving Nosepiece Also known as the revolving turret. It holds the objective
lenses. This is the part of the microscope that holds two or
more objective lenses and can be rotated to easily change
power (magnification).

Dust Shield The dust shield is a circular disc mechanical part of a

microscope that lies above the nosepiece. Its function is to
keep the dust from settling on the objectives.

Stage This is the section on which the specimen is placed for

viewing. They have stage clips hold the specimen slides
in place. The most common stage is a mechanical stage,
which allows the control of the slides by moving the
slides using the mechanical knobs on the stage instead of
 moving it manually.

Stage Clip Stage clips hold the slides in place. If your microscope
has a mechanical stage, the slide is controlled by turning
two knobs instead of having to move it manually. One
knob moves the slide left and right, the other moves it
forward and backward.

Mechanical Stage A mechanical stage is a mechanism mounted on the stage

that holds and moves the microscope slide.  It has two
knobs and allows the user to move the slide in the X or Y
direction very smoothly and slowly by turning these
knobs. This can be very useful at higher
magnifications because the slide must be moved in very
small amounts and in the opposite direction, or the
specimen being viewed will shoot out of the viewing
field.  

D. Focusing Parts

Coarse Adjustment Knob It is a large knob that is used for moving the body tube
down and up for bringing the object to be examined under
exact focus.

Fine Adjustment Knob It is the smaller knob, which is used for sharp and fine
focusing of the object. For accurate and sharp focusing,
this knob can be used.

C. Magnification of the Microscope

LPO (Low Power Objective) – Gives the lowest magnification, usually 10x
HPO (High Power Objective) – Gives higher magnification, usually 40x or 43x
OIO (Oil Immersion Objective) – Give the highest magnification, usually 97x or 100x