Name___________________________________________________Period_____Row____

Investigation: Microscopes and Cells :

A. Understanding Magnification and Light:

The eyepiece printing is inside the tube of the microscope; it says 10X, meaning 10 power.

1. Therefore: The magnification of the eyepiece in your microscope is 10X correct? _______

2. Your microscope has 3 lenses below. These are called objective lenses. What is the magnification of
the low power objective (shorter, yellow markings)? ________

3. What is the magnification of the high power objective (longer, blue markings)? _______

To find the total magnification of your microscope, multiply the magnification of the eyepiece by the
magnification of the objective in use.

4. What is the total magnification using the low power objective with the eyepiece? ________
(show work)

5. What is the total magnification using the high power objective with the eyepiece? ________
(show work)

6. What would the total magnification be for a microscope with a 15 power eyepiece and a 40 power
objective? __________(show work)

7. Notice that just under the stage of the microscope is the diaphragm, a rotating disc with different size
holes in it. When the built-in light is turned on, what happens when the diaphragm is turned from
one position to another?
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C. Preparation of the Sample for viewing.

8. Do you think you should place a lot or very little of the sample on the slide? And should the sample
be thick or thin? Explain.
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9. Prepare a wet mount of the letter “e”
1.Obtain an “e” from the cart.
2.Place the “e” right side up on a slide.
3.Add one drop of water on the top of the “e” with an eyedropper.
4.Place a cover slip on top of the drop of water. Do NOT push the cover slip onto the slide
to make a wet mount. Instead, place one side on slide and let it drop slowly. The water
will keep the two pieces of glass together.
**What you have just prepared is called a wet mount
D. Adjusting the Microscope
Place the slide you have prepared directly over the hole in the stage. Use the 2 stage slips to keep the
slide from moving.

Focusing the Microscope:

REMEMBER:
1. When focusing microscopes, always start with low power.
2. When on low power you only use the coarse adjustment.
3. When using high power, you only use the fine adjustment.

E. Observing objects under the microscope

10. In space 10 below, make a drawing of the letter “e” as it actually appears to the un-sided eye (before
placing on microscope). Draw its actual size and position (right side up).

11. In space 11, make a drawing of the letter “e” as it appears under the microscope under low power,
use the coarse adjustment to bring it into focus. The circle below represents the field of the
microscope. Show the size of the letter “e” compared to the field, and also its apparent position.

12. Change the microscope to the high power objective, and bring it to proper focus using the fine
adjustment. To go from low to high swing the nosepiece around, click into place, and focus. In space
12 below, make a drawing of the letter “e” as it now appears. Again, illustrate the actual size and
position of the letter “e” in relation to the field.

10. Un-aided eye 11. Low power 12. High power

13. Move the slide to the right. Which way does the image appear to move? ____________________

14. Move the slide up. Which way does the image appear to move?___________________________

15. When you see a small object at the very edge of the field in low power,
what would you see of the object under high power. See example to right. ----> x

_______________________________________________________________ low power

16. Do you see more or less of the object as the magnification is increased? Explain your answer.

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Observing Plant and Animal Cells

A. Onion Cells:
An onion is a bulb an underground, highly modified storage stem of a plant.

Directions:
1. Place 2 drops of iodine on the center of a slide.
2. Obtain the thin single cell layer of onion from your instructor.
3. Let the onion sit in the IODINE for 1 minute.
4. Place the coverslip over the onion and iodine.
5. Draw what you actually see in the microscope. Choose which power gives you the best view.
6. Label the following structures on one of the cells in your drawing (whether they are actually
visible or not) -Cell Wall, Cell Membrane, Cytoplasm, Central Vacuole, Nucleus, Nucleolus

B. Cheek Cells:
The cheek cell is a typical animal cell that is easily obtained and viewed.

Directions:
1. Place one drop of water on the center of the slide.
2. Add a small or partial drop of METHYLENE BLUE stain.
3. Take the broad end of a toothpick and gently scrape the inside of your cheek.
4. Roll and stir the toothpick in the water on the slide.
5. THROW AWAY the toothpick in the trash.
6. Place the cover slip over the cheek cells with stain.
7. Use a small piece of paper towel to absorb any extra liquid.
8. Draw what you actually see in the microscope.
9. Label the following structures on one of the cells in your drawing (whether you see it or not)-Cell
Membrane, Cytoplasm, Nucleus, Nucleolus
 C. Questions

1. Why are stains like methylene blue or iodine used in observing cells?
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2. What is the general shape of the onion cell?___________________________________________
3. What is the general shape of the cheek cell? __________________________________________
4. Compare the location of the nucleus in the onion cell versus the cheek cell?
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5. What 2 structures do plant cells have that help them maintain their shape?
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6. If onion cells are plant cells, why are there no chloroplasts in the onion cell?
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7. Explain why you could not use an oak leaf as a specimen for this lab?
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8. Using the field of view below, calculate the length of an onion cell under low power and the
width of the cell under high power. Please show your work on how you arrived at your
measurement.

Low Power high power

Bracketed area is 1060 µ𝑚 Every marking is 2.67 µ𝑚

Show
Work---->
Here