How to Use a Microscope
Learning Objective
To use a microscope to view small objects in more detail.
Success Criteria
• To label the parts of a microscope.
• To safely use a microscope to magnify objects.
• To make scientific drawings of objects under the microscope.
Organising Objects
Put the following objects in order of size.
grain of bacteria paperclip DNA red blood
salt cell
Extension:
Which of these objects can only be seen using a microscope?
Organising Objects
Put the following objects in order of size.
increasing size
DNA bacteria red blood grain of paperclip
cell salt
Extension:
Which of these objects can only be seen using a microscope?
bacteria, red blood cell and DNA
Microscopes
Microscopes have been used for
many years to observe objects that
are too small to see with the naked
eye. The first microscope was
invented in the 1500s.
Over time, the magnification and
resolution of microscopes has
significantly improved due to
developments in technology. We now
have microscopes that can examine
specimens at an atomic level.
Many important scientific discoveries
have been made using microscopes.
Parts of a Microscope
Can you label any parts of the light microscope?
Parts of a Microscope
Can you label any parts of the light microscope?
eyepiece lens arm
objective lens
stage clips
stage
coarse adjustment knob
diaphragm
fine adjustment knob
base
light source
Using a Light Microscope
1. Plug in the microscope and turn on the light. If your microscope
has a mirror, you may need to adjust it so light is directed through
the diaphragm.
2. Place your specimen (the object you want to observe) on the stage and
secure it with the stage clips.
3. Turn the objective lens to the lowest magnification (usually ×4).
4. Turn the coarse adjustment knob until the objective lens is almost
touching the microscope slide. Look from the side of the microscope as
you do this, not through the eyepiece, so you do not damage the slide.
5. Looking through the eyepiece, turn the coarse adjustment knob to move
the stage away from the objective lens until the image comes into focus.
6. Use the fine adjustment knob to make the image clearer.
7. Turn to a higher power objective lens (×10 or ×40) and refocus the image
using the fine adjustment knob.
8. Make a scientific drawing of the specimen or write down any
observations.
Quick Quiz
1. Which part of the microscope do you look through?
diaphragm
eyepiece lens
objective lens
Quick Quiz
2. Which part of the microscope is used to move the stage up and down?
coarse adjustment knob
fine adjustment knob
stage clips
Quick Quiz
3. What is the name of the object that you observe with a microscope?
sample
species
specimen
Quick Quiz
4. Which part of the microscope can be adjusted to control the amount of
light reaching the specimen.
arm
diaphragm
objective lens
Quick Quiz
5. A light microscope has three objective lenses: ×4, ×10 and ×40. Which
objective lens should be used first when viewing an object?
×4
×10
×40
