BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
Course Title: General Botany
Laboratory Exercises No. 1: The Compound Microscope
Lesson: Parts and Function of the Compound Microscope
Introduction
The microscope is a fundamental tool for biologists. This instrument has been
perfected over the past 300 years. It has, within limits, allowed the invisible to become
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©Biofacultymember2020
BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
the visible. The extension of the eye or vision makes much information available to the
curious student. For instance: shape, size, position, connections, colors, number,
texture and even chemical composition are some of the facts that may be recorded by
the eye and the microscope. Historians credit the invention of the compound
microscope to the Dutch spectacle maker, Zacharias Janssen, around the year 1590.
The compound microscope uses lenses and light to enlarge the image and is also
called an optical or light microscope. The simplest optical microscope is the magnifying
glass and is good to about ten times (10X) magnification. The compound microscope
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©Biofacultymember2020
BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
has two systems of lenses for greater magnification, 1) the ocular, or eyepiece lens that
one looks into and 2) the objective lens, or the lens closest to the object.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this exercise the student should be able to:
1) Identify the different parts of the compound microscope and describe their
function
2) Describe the structures and functions of other complex types of microscope
3) Understand tand familiarize how to care the compound microscope
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©Biofacultymember2020
BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
4) Calculate the resolving power of a specific lens system if the numerical aperture
and wavelength of light is given.
5) Calculate the total magnification of a lens system if the power of the ocular and
objective lens is given.
6) Answer the questions at the end of the lab exercise.
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©Biofacultymember2020
BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
LABORATORY EXERCISE NO. 1
THE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
Group No.: Date Submitted:
Surname/s of members(List you names alphabetically)
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©Biofacultymember2020
BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
EXERCISE 1.1: PARTS AND FUNCTION OF THE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
I. Write your introduction (This includes principles, significance of the study,
objectives of the experiment and the passive voice and past tense.
Introduction must be short but packed with relevant content).
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©Biofacultymember2020
BIO1201 Botany_Laboratory
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
II. The following links will give you some information about the parts of
microscope. Diligently view some of the video clips and slides and take notes
of some important facts about the parts of the microscope. Investigate also
