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Pixels of a newspaper photograph, zoomed in
close
Using the microscope as a magnifying glass
(macro-view)
The microscope should always be protected from
dust
The light switch for incident light (II) and trans-
mitted light (I)
an object much more closely and clearly at higher powers. With this microscope,
you can determine the magnification with which you are observing an object
quite easily in the following way: You multiply the number on the ocular lens (the
eyepiece lens) by the number on the objective lens that is pointing perpendicularly
downward. The light passes through the objective lens and then the ocular lens to
your eye.
Let's get to it and view an object in magnifying glass mode. Using the focus
adjustment knob, put the stage in its lowest position. Set the toggle switch for
the illumination to "II." The lamp for illumination from above (incident light) will
come on. Place a piece of colored paper from a magazine onto the stage so that
it lies directly over the hole in the middle of the stage. Now rotate the revolving
nosepiece so that the objective lens with the lowest magnification (red ring, 4x) is
pointing perpendicularly downward. Close one eye and look with the other one
through the ocular. Can't see anything? Of course not — you also have to focus. To
do this, move the stage slowly upward using the focus adjustment knob. The en-
tire time you are doing this, look through the ocular lens. Out of nowhere, blurry
colorful blotches will probably appear and then, quite suddenly, a sharp image.
Would you have thought that a colorful picture from a magazine is composed of
lots of individual colored dots? The magnification with which you are now ob-
serving the paper is the magnification of the ocular times the magnification of
the objective, or 10 × 4 = 40. So you are seeing the paper 40 times larger than it
actually is, and that is actually the special thing about this microscope magnifying
glass. Images seen through normal magnifying glasses usually have a magnifica-
tion of no more than 10x. By contrast, even at the lowest magnification, you can
see an object four times more closely than that with your microscope! Is it possible
to use even more magnification? Of course it is. Just turn the revolving nosepiece
clockwise so that the yellow objective (10x) is pointing downward perpendicularly
and focus the image again. You'll see that the area in which you see a clear image
at this ten-fold magnification has become much smaller and that you had to move
the objective lens closer to the object. Consequently, when examining thick and,
above all, even hard objects (e.g. rocks, crystals, coins, etc.), you have to be very
careful not to allow the objective lens to hit against the object and scratch the
lens. Hence the following rule:
When using the microscope as a magnifying glass (macro-view with incident
light), only use the red (4x) and the yellow objective (10x)! The blue objective
(40x) is only intended for transmitted-light microscopy!
As you can see, in order to observe objects with really strong magnification, natu-
ral scientists can't get around using transmitted-light microscopy techniques.
When I look into the ocular, everything is dark.
• Are there batteries in the battery compartment, and are they installed in the
correct directions?
• Are the batteries fresh? Check the batteries with a battery tester.
• Is the (correct) lamp turned on?
• Setting "0": Lamp off. Setting "I": Light from below for using the microscope
with transmitted light. Setting "II": Light from above for the magnifying glass
with incident light.
• Is the objective properly engaged?
• Turn the revolving nosepiece carefully back and forth to ensure that the re-
spective objective lens is engaged ("snaps in place") and is exactly perpendicular.
There is light but I can't find a focused object.
• Is there an object directly under the objective lens?
• Place objects that can be seen with the naked eye exactly in the middle of the
light opening.
• Is the objective lens over the light opening?
• The objective lens only picks up the object in this area (naturally, the higher
the magnification, the smaller the visible area becomes).
• Maybe you were too fast!
• Turn the knob slowly to move the stage downward. Careful with the blue
objective (40x) — don't bump into the object or slide!
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