[LAB] Parts of a Microscope and their Functions

Question 1

: The lens the viewer looks through to see the specimen. The eyepiece usually contains a 10X or 15X power lens.

Answer 1

Eyepiece

Question 2

: Useful as a means to change focus on one eyepiece so as to correct for any difference in vision between your two eyes.

Answer 2

Diopter Adjustment

Question 3

: The body tube connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses.

Answer 3

Body tube (Head)

Question 4

: The arm connects the body tube to the base of the microscope.

Answer 4

Arm

Question 5

: Brings the specimen into general focus.

Answer 5

Coarse adjustment

Question 6

: Fine tunes the focus and increases the detail of the specimen

Answer 6

Fine adjustment

Question 7

: A rotating turret that houses the objective lenses. The viewer spins the nosepiece to select different objective lenses.

Answer 7

Nosepiece

Question 8

: One of the most important parts of a compound microscope, as they are the lenses closest to the specimen.

Answer 8

Objective lenses

Question 9

A standard microscope has three, four, or five objective lenses that range in power from 4X to 100X. When focusing the microscope, be careful that the objective lens doesn’t touch the slide, as it could break the slide and destroy the specimen.

Question 10

: The specimen is the object being examined. Most specimens are mounted on slides, flat rectangles of thin glass.

Answer 10

Specimen or slide

Question 11

The specimen is placed on the glass and a cover slip is placed over the specimen. This allows the slide to be easily inserted or removed from the microscope. It also allows the specimen to be labeled, transported, and stored without damage.

Question 12

: The flat platform where the slide is placed

Answer 12

Stage

Question 13

: Metal clips that hold the slide in place

Answer 13

Stage clips

Question 14

: These knobs move the stage left and right or up and down.

Answer 14

Stage height adjustment (Stage Control)

Question 15

: The hole in the middle of the stage that allows light from the illuminator to reach the specimen.

Answer 15

Aperture

Question 16

: This switch on the base of the microscope turns the illuminator off and on.

Answer 16

On/off switch

Question 17

: The light source for a microscope. Older microscopes used mirrors to reflect light from an external source up through the bottom of the stage; however, most microscopes now use a lowvoltage bulb

Answer 17

Illumination

Question 18

: Adjusts the amount of light that reaches the specimen

Answer 18

Iris diaphragm

Question 19

: Gathers and focuses light from the illuminator onto the specimen being viewed

Answer 19

Condenser

Question 20

: The base supports the microscope and it’s where illuminator is located

Answer 20

Base