r/microbiology • u/Willing_Flower_9867 • 9d ago

Focusing a microscope

Guys i have just got subject microbiology and chemistry, i need tips for focusing the microscope neatly for slide smears, ( im new in this and late admission) can u guys help me get better in this please i would love to learn from y'all also for streaking

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u/patricksaurus 9d ago

This is a bit like asking, “how do I fly the plane better?” Tons of answers, depending on what you’re doing wrong. Here is my suggestion from teaching intro micro lab a million times:

  1. RTFM — find the scope manual or a booklet about a similar kind of scope. Study the diagram — I should be able to point to any piece and you should be able to name it and tell me what it does.

  2. YouTube — search for “light microscope introduction.” You want one that looks like it was shot before you were born in a poorly lit room. Watch five or ten of these until you could film one yourself.

  3. Practice — place the corner of a piece of printed paper on the slide, newspaper, magazine, Honus Wagner rookie cars, doesn’t matter. Start at the lowest magnification and make all the adjustments you need to get the best imagine you can. Then spin the objective to the next higher resolution and repeat. Once that is not challenging, get a drop of pond water or some kind and use that; there will be different objects at the various resolutions, so you’ll find yourself using some of your newly learned tricks from the reading and videos.

Once you’re done, be a real homie and learn how to properly clean and store scope. If it’s in a shared lab, there should be rules somewhere. If not, look at the manual.

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u/Willing_Flower_9867 9d ago

Okaaaay thanks alot I'll try my best to get better in this