Online Lab #1

www.cerebromente.org.br

Looking back, most people can probably remember looking through a magnifying glass at the great wonders of the world: beetles, spiders, even grass, lots of grass. With the microscope the wonders of what seem to the be the simplest of things often prove themselves to be very complex. The microscope functions for this purpose. The microscope has provided plenty towards mankind's technological advances. "Micro" meaning small and "scope" meaning to see, describe its function--to view small things. With extensive altering and improvements, we have gained the ability to observe very tiny things in a larger, crisper view. May it be an onion layer or a stem cell, a microscope provides a rather enlarged image of what we want to see.


www.microscopestore.com

Though a microscope's features may seem complex, its use remains relatively simple. Anyone, a scientist or a lab student, is capable of changing the view from teeny tiny to large to extra large in the time it takes to adjust the dial and refocus the image. Since the time of its most distinct birth in Middleburg, Holland, in 1595, by Hans and Zacharias Janssen, the microscope has maintained a few features: 2 lenses on the opposing ends of a tube. It wasn't until 1665 that Robert Hooke and Anton Leeuwenhoek decided to elaborate on that simplicity. Both are recognized for their miraculous achievements with microscopes, Hooke for his discovery of what he decided to call "cells" when examining bark from an oak tree, and Leeuwenhoek for his discovery of bacteria and protozoans in pond water and in teeth scapings. Sir Issac Newton also added his name to the list when he brought the reflecting microscopes into light for the first time in 1692.

A microscope is comprised of several parts, all of which aid in its functioning. Several that can be found on a typical microscope include:


www.flinnsci.com

Stage: The stage has a hole in its center for light to pass through with two clips on opposite sides hold the slide (and its object to be viewed) in place. Whenever you want to begin looking at a slide, make sure the stage is in its highest position. By centering the slide on the stage, the quality of what you are observing will be more accurate.

Focus knobs(3): 1. The coarse adjustment knob raises the image to a clear view and is the first focus knob that should be used. 2. XY knobs move the slide up and down, left and right and can be used to find the specific area that is to be examined. 3. The fine adjustment knob is to be rotated slowly in order to get a sharp view of the image. The focus knobs simply allow you to see the image according to your preference so that you can see the most clear image as you move the dials.

Objectives (magnification numbers): At the start of the slide viewing process, the objective should be in 4x before it is to be changed to a higher magnification. Always remember to move the iris and the nose piece, located near the objectives, while looking at the microscope and changing objectives. The objectives are like the zoom lenses of a camera and serve to quickly view the specimen at a series of sizes at preference.

Iris: The iris adjusts the light shining through the slide, while looking through the microscope. It is a rotating disk and can be found underneath the stage. As you change the objectives, make sure you adjust the iris. The iris has the ability to shine too much or too little light, making it difficult to find what you are looking for. It's up to you to slowly adjust the iris until the lighting conditions are perfect.

Oculars (eyepieces) : These are located at the top of the microscope and should be adjusted at a distance of your own preference for both the left and right oculars (The average is 64). The oculars allow you to see your image! Make sure to adjust with both eyes open and looking 3/4 inches away through the eyepiece. Remember to never rest your eyes on the eyepieces themselves throughout this process.

The microscope is truly a revolutionary piece of technology. In our modern day world, we have acquired the Dissection Microscope and the Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (3-D). Both have been a large part of scientists' day to day work. Without it, we may have never discovered the aspects of different bacterias, the complexity of a cell, or even the characteristics an atom. We may have never been given the chance to look at our DNA or to have found the cures to numerous diseases.



This is what I saw through the microscope of an onion tip at 40x magnification.


This is what I saw through the microscope of a cheek smear at 40x magnification.


Works-Cited
Types of Microscopes found at:
http://www.southwestschools.org/jsfaculty/Microscopes/types.html
Picture displaying parts of a microscope:
www.flinnsci.com
Picture of 40x magnification of an onion tip:
www.udel.edu
Parts of a microscope:
http://www.southwestschools.org/jsfaculty/Microscopes/Usage.html
Picture of 40x magnification of a cheek smear:
www.udel.edu
"Micro" and "scope" found at:
www.learnaboutbinoculars.com/microscope.html
History and evolution found at:
http://www.southwestschools.org/jsfaculty/Microscopes/fathers.html
Picture of first microscope:
www.cerebromente.org.br
Picture of advanced microscope:
www.microscopestore.com