Answer:
USE OF THE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
HOW TO HANDLE A MICROSCOPE:
A compound microscope should be treated as a VERY, VERY, VERY fragile piece of equipment.
1. Adjustments should be made gently and with finesse.
2. ALWAYS use both hands when picking the microscope up and moving it from one place to another.
3. When focusing on a slide, ALWAYS start with either the 4X or 10X objective. Once you have the object in focus, then switch to the next higher power objective. Re-focus on the image and then switch to the next highest power. Etc. NEVER advance more than one objective before focusing.
4. Use ONLY the fine focus control when focusing the higher power objectives (20X, 40X, 100X) on a slide. The course focus control is too course for focusing with these objectives. Objectives are fragile and must not be rammed into slides.
5. If an objective or ocular needs to be cleaned use the Q-tips and methanol available on the front desk in the lab. THE FOLLOWING NOTES ON CLEANING ARE VERY IMPORTANT!
a. ONLY CLEAN, UN-USED Q-TIPS MAY BE DIPPED IN THE METHANOL BOTTLE. Even Q-tips that have only been used once may have dirt on them that could contaminate the methanol and cause scratches in subsequent objectives or oculars when they are cleaned.
b. WHEN LENS PAPER IS USED TO CLEAN OBJECTIVES OR OCULARS, USE A NEW, CLEAN SECTION OF THE PAPER EACH TIME YOU WIPE THE LENS SURFACE.
c. NEVER SAVE USED LENS PAPER OR Q-TIPS. THEY SHOULD NEVER BE RE-USED ON ANY OF THE LENSES.
d. IF YOU RUN INTO A PARTICULARLY TENACIOUS BIT OF DIRT ON A LENS, SEE THE CLASS INSTRUCTOR ABOUT REMOVING IT RATHER THAN TRYING TO DO IT YOURSELF.WITH THESE THINGS IN MIND LET'S RUN THROUGH THE USE OF THE MICROSCOPE WITH AN EXAMPLE SLIDE
