Microscope Parts and Lenses Trivia Quiz

Answer: Illuminator

The illuminator, or light source, is located under the stage of a microscope. It is either made of mirrors or an electric light. The object of the light is to give you a bright background so you can more easily see the object on the slide.

Answer: Ocular

The ocular, or eyepiece, is the lens you look through in a microscope. It usually has a magnification of 10X. Every microscope has an eyepiece.

Answer: Metal clips that hold the slides in place

These metal clips keep the slides from slipping off the stage. The stage is where you set the slide down to view. The slide is what you put your specimen in that you want to view.

Answer: false

The larger of the two knobs, the coarse adjustment knob, makes large adjustments in focusing my moving the lens up and down. The fine adjustment knobs make small adjustments in the focusing. They are both situated just above the base on the side of the arm.

Answer: To the right

In a compound microscope, mirrors are used to make an image larger. Therefore, the "e" would flip upside down and backwards. So, when you think you are moving it up, you are really moving down, and when you are moving it left, you are really moving it right, and vice versa.

Answer: Regular power

Most microscopes come with three objective lenses, each with a different magnification. The low power is usually 4-5X, the medium power is 10X, and the high power is 40 or 60X.

Answer: Nosepiece

The nosepiece is a disc-shaped structure where the objective lenses are attached. You have the ability to rotate this disc to change the objectives to increase or decrease the magnification. The lenses will gently click into position when they are ready to be used.

Answer: Adjustable diaphragm

The adjustable diaphragm is located under the stage, and you can rotate it to turn the light on, off, and brighter and darker. The lower the magnitude of the microscope lenses, the lower the light needs to be, and the higher the magnitude, the higher the light.

Answer: 40

The rule of microscope magnification is simple. If you have two lenses, multiply the two for the amount of total magnification. For instance, if you have a lens of 2X, and a lens of 4X, the total magnification would be 8X. If you have a lens of 10X, and a lens of 200X, the total magnification would be 2000X.

Answer: Arm

The recommended way of carrying a microscope is by holding it by the arm, and having the other hand under the base. The arm is the strongest part of the microscope. You should NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER, carry a microscope with just one hand. To clean a microscope, you must use a soft lens cleaning cloth, and some lens cleaner. To clean the rest of the microscope, you must use a soft cloth or tissue.