core practical: light microscope

step 1

take a thin slice of specimen

step 2

use a pipette to put one drop of water on a clean slide and use tweezers to place specimen

step 3

add a drop of stain to make specimen easier to see

step 4

place coverslip, holding at an angle at one end and lower onto slide with a mounted needle

step 5

select lowest powered objective lens

step 6

use coarse adjustment knob to move stage and look into the eyepiece until the specimen is nearly focused

step 7

adjust the focus with fine adjustment knob until a clear image

step 8

use a clear ruler to measure field of view to estimate size of specimen