What Students can do with Compound Light Microscopes
By using the compound light microscope, students will understand how these contraptions contribute to what we know about science and technology and the basic differences between animal cells and plant cells.
Before the experiment
Before conducting the compound light microscope experiment, we suggest that the instructor review the students about the differences between animal cells and plant cells. Students, especially those talking up life biology, must be able to know that plants have cell walls, plastids store food and chloroplasts have chlorophyll. These are basic plant cell knowledge.
They also should know that animal cells do not have cell walls, therefore their shapes are irregular. Animal cells have tons of small vacuoles which help in storing the nutrients as well as the waste products.
Students should also know the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells have organized nucleus. The examples are the animal and plant cells. Meanwhile the prokaryotic cells do not have organized nucleus. These are bacteria cells.
The instructor should inform the students that this experiment will let them view the images on the slide samples using the compound light microscopes. If possible, the instructor should discuss the history of microscopes.
Why use compound light microscopes?
When students ask this question, instructors can say that a compound light microscope use compound lens and light in order to magnify the specimen. The lens bends and refracts the light making the object placed on the stage appear closer. Once examined using a magnifying glass, the students will see that the light-bending shape of the convex.
The instructor can also explain that the compound light microscope lets scientists view specimens that are so small to be seen by the other microscopes. These microscopes use electrons in order to magnify the specimen to two million times.
How does the compound light microscope work?
- The specimen is prepared. It is best if it is coated with a lining that makes it easier to conduct electricity. The best lining is a layer of gold – even a thin one can already activate the electrons.
- The specimen is placed underneath the special column. When the electrons are shot, the lenses focus on the generated electrons of the specimen.
- The specimen allows the scanning of the electron beams and it moves back and forth.
The minute the beam moves and examines the specimen, the electrons are knocked off. These electrons are enhanced and recorded at the same time. The compound light microscope can picture the specimen in the way the electrons bounced. The picture that appears in the eyepiece or on the monitor is the result of the light magnifying the image after it has reflected from the object.
When you look through the compound light microscope, you will see that the image is magnified because of the light that reflects on the object. With the compound light microscope, you get to see the light as well as the electron activity on the specimen.
Tools and Technology of the Compound Light Microscope
The compound light microscope is only one of the various microscopes out there that can do research by applying the high-tech devices that are constantly revolutionizing biological life studies and researches.
Aside from the Compound Light Microscope, the other microscopes helping scientists on their modern research and studies are the acoustic microscope, transmission electron microscopes and the scanning tunneling microscopes.
Questions after the activity
Upon observation, the instructor can ask the following questions in order to find out what the students learned.
- What parts of the cell help the plants in surviving within their habitats? What parts of the cell help the animals survive as well?
- How exactly do the compound light microscopes help doctors and scientists, as well as researchers and students? Give an example on how these microscopes are factors in greatly enhancing today’s knowledge on science and technology.
- Is it possible for the Compound Light Microscopes to discover ways in diagnosing and treating diseases – especially those that are said to be incurable, such as cancer and AIDS?
- Of all the images that the compound light microscope captured during the entire activity, which is the most interesting? Why is that?
- If you could look at something else using the compound light microscope? What would it be? Based from the activity that was conducted, what other applications make use of the compound light microscope? Why do you say so? What similarity does that application have with the conducted exercise?
