Microscope+Activity

=Microscope Activity=

Introduction
This lab was done to learn about compound light microscopes and its basic functions. The first few sections include things such as learning the different parts of the microscope and how to use them. In the later sections, the microscope was actually used to examine specimen, such as the letter 'e' (from a newspaper), prepared slides, a potato slice, and cheek cells. Through examining potato cells and cheek cells, we also learned how to create wet-mount slides because the students prepared these slides.

Lab
[|Microscope lab.pdf] This lab contains the basic function of a compound light microscope and drawings of the different specimen viewed underneath the microscope. Included are details of the sketch, magnification level, field of view, etc.

Reflection
Positive: Overall, this lab went pretty well, and nothing seriously wrong occurred. Viewing the different specimen occurred smoothly, and we were able to answer related questions. The most positive aspect of the lab was that I thought my partner and I worked really well. We did not fool around and were able to get the lab finished quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, I also felt that we included a lot of information and data about the different slides. Negative: The negative slide of the lab was that I realized later that I could have been more detailed with my drawings. For example, I could have used color or drawn the cells more clearly. What I learned: From this lab, I learned about the functions of a compound light microscope and how to interpret what's seen underneath. This includes things such as the various knobs used to adjust focus, how to calculate magnification, preparing a wet mount slide, etc. Difficult: The most difficult part of the lab was trying to find pond scum in pond water on a magnification of 400x. My partner and I were able to locate the moving specimen without difficulty under magnification levels of 40x and 100x, but it was difficult to find under a magnification of 400x. However, we eventually did find the specimen. Gone better: If I could do this lab over again, I feel that I should have drawn better sketches, especially of the potato cells and been more observant of the different structures inside the cell.