Lab Practical 4

We had to scrub our cheek cells with a toothpick, rub it on a glass slide and place it under a microscope! After that, we placed a tiny leaf of a hydrilla plant under the microscope and here are the pictures(: It wasn't easy to take photographs, putting the camera in front of the eyepiece:0

Leaf of a hydrilla plant

Leaf of a hydrilla plant

Lab Practical 3

Lab Practical 3. First lesson learning how to use a light microscope.

Our class learnt the different types of microscopes: light microscopes(the one we used), Electron Microscope and more! We learnt how to calculate the magnification (eyepiece 10X multiplied by various objective lenses) and there were three objective lenses: scanning objective lens, low objective lens and high-power objective lens.(ascending order) Next, we learnt how to prepare a slide(which was to be put on the stage of the microscope later on).

Here are the steps:

1. Wash the glass slide thoroughly under running water. (You don't want to see thumbprints on the glass slide under the microscope!!) **You must must hold it by its sides, not the wide glass surface**

2. After you have dried all the water off the glass slide, put the substance you want to observe under the microscope.

3. For me, it was newspaper. So I had to put some water because newspaper is a solid substance. (If it is not coloured, [like cheek cells] you will have to put a drop of iodine solution or a colored liquid!)

(If it is in liquid form already, you do not need to put any any thing.)

4. Next, carefully slide the cover slip down onto the glass slide! (you don't want to see any huge air bubbles under the microscope! You will see a black line) (I had experienced this before; I saw some black dots under the microscope and mistook it for the substance.__.) To prevent any air bubbles, you will have to use a sharp object (I have been using toothpicks) to drag the cover slip along the glass slide. 

5. We have finally prepared the slide!:D

So after so many adjustments of the stage....

I came up with this wonderfully huge picture of the newspaper and the three fibered strings! (the newspaper was [] <--this size)

A tiny piece of newspaper with the letter 'S' under a microscope
The letter 'S' is upside-down and laterally inverted!

3 different coloured strings under a light microscope.
If you focus on one string, the other strings will look blur!

Drawing of Human Cheek Cells and Plant Cells

Title: Drawing of Human Cheek Cells 

Title: Drawing of Hydrilla Leaf Cells 

Complex Drawing of an Animal Cell

A Complex Drawing of an Animal Cell