Method
You have to be very careful when using a light microscope. Follow these i9nstructions to setup and use the microscope properly.
- First of all place the microscope in the middle of the table and close to the lamp that will supply the light for you to see the slide clearly. Make sure the hand grip of the microscope is pointing towards you. If the microscope you are using has more than one objective lens, start with one with the lowest number.
- Once the microscope is set, look down it. Adjust the magnification until you can see a plain bright screen.
- After you have set the magnification, then put the slide that you are studying on to the stage of the microscope.
- Now again look down the microscope. Slowly turn the focusing knob so that the objective lens is moving away from the slide. Then you can slowly focus the slide up to the magnifications you desire.
Apparatus
- Light Microscope
- Lamp
- Cover Slip
- Slide
- Item that you are Studying
Light Microscope
Safety Points
When using a light microscope we use the light form a lamp to brighten the microscope. We don’t use the sun because it is too powerful, and if the naked eye looks at the sun for too long, the retina can be burnt. You should place the microscope in the middle of the table so that it doesn’t slip off the sides. Also when doing a practical involving a scalpel, you have to be very alert and careful. They are very sharp and can cut in an instant.
Make sure the lamp is away from anything that can be burnt.
Discussion of Vocational Implications
Light microscopes are used in a lot of places. They only in schools to carry out experiments but, pathologists use a light microscope to see plant cells in detail. Forensic Scientists use light microscopes to view DNA samples. Light microscopes are also used in hospitals, cancer researches, food factories and students in universities use microscopes aswell. New microscopes have been invented now to carry out experiments that cannot be done by a light microscope. Some new additions in the Microscope Family consist are Compound Microscopes, Dissection Microscope, Confocal Microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Microscopes have answered some of the questions that the naked eye cannot see. For example the naked eye cannot see an onion cell, to see the onion cell we have to use a microscope.
Evaluation
I think setting up a light microscope is very simple and easy. The advantage of a microscope is that you can set it up very fast and get to work straight away. You don’t need any special training to use a microscope, it is basically common sense. A disadvantage is that it can be moved easily by some one walking past and nudging it out of position. And when that happens you have to refocus and reposition the microscope. The solution to this problem is that lamps should be fitted on the microscopes. However I think that the microscope is a brilliant piece of equipment.
