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www.barska.com
Look in the eyepiece and observe what happens to the image when you move
the slide from side to side and up and down.
If you wish to increase magnification, rotate the objective turret to a higher power
and refocus.
Try Out the Color Filter
Rotate the color filter located below the stage. Below the stage, a fitting will line
up with the opening in the center of the filter. Rotate the filter wheel to change
filter colors.
Turn on the light. Set it so it shines through the filter. Take a blank slide and place
a few grains of salt or sugar on it Rotate the filter and see how the filtered light
enhances the image of the salt or sugar.
Caution
Be careful not to touch the slide with the objective lens. You can break the slide
and/or the lens by touching the slide with the lens
When you are finished observing, be sure to turn the light source around, if
necessary, so that it turns off and doesn’t wear down the batteries. Remove the
batteries before storing the microscope for a month or longer.
Note
The view presented in the eyepiece is upside-down and reversed from left to right
of the object. In other words, if you wish to examine more of the left side, move
the slide to the right Or if you wish to examine more of the top of the image, move
the slide down and vice-versa.
Use the color filter especially when looking at clear or dim specimens.
Hatching Brine Shrimp
Brine shrimp are tiny crustaceans that are ideal for study with a microscope.
Crustaceans are sea creatures with hard shells and antennae. Crabs and
lobsters are perhaps the most well known crustaceans. Brine shrimp are the
major part of the diet of many sea creatures. The word brine means water
containing noticeable amounts of salt Brine shrimp are salt-water creatures.
Your microscope kit comes supplied with sea salt and brine shrimp eggs. The
brine shrimp eggs included with this set are dried and will remain alive for up to
five years if stored in a cool, dry place.
Perform the following procedure to hatch the brine shrimp eggs:
To hatch the eggs, first prepare a brine solu tion. Pour the entire contents of the
vial containing the sea salt into a quart of tap water. Add the brine shrimp eggs
into the solution. Allow the solution to stand at room temperature (70° - 80°F or
21o - 26°C) for 24 to 48 hours and the eggs will hatch into nauplius larvae (this
is the first stage of development after leaving the eggs).
Place some of the larvae into the shrimp hatchery.
Place some fresh brine solution in another dish. Add a small amount of yeast
to this new solution. Then, using the eyedropper, transfer some of the larvae
into this dish as well. The yeast will serve as food and produce oxygen for the
larvae as they develop into maturity. Without food and oxygen, the shrimp cannot
develop and will die. Mature brine shrimp are known as Artemia Salina.
Note
Using an eyedropper with just the right pressure to get a desired amount of
liquid onto a slide can be harder than it looks. Take out a clean slide and practice
squeezing a drop of water onto the slide until you feel comfortable that you can
control the size of the drop that you’re squeezing out.
Observe the life cycle of the shrimp as they grow: the dried eggs, the hatching
eggs, the developing larvae, and finally, the mature shrimp.
The mature shrimp may be fed to fish in an aquarium if you so wish. However,
first remove the shrimp from the brine solution and place them into fresh water.
An increase in salt may harm the fish in the aquarium.
TIP: Don’t always assume that increasing magnification will produce the best
image for viewing. Each time you increase in magni fication, the amount of light
decreases, and the section of the image you are able to view also decreases.
This is desirable for some specimens, but not for others. Experiment observing
with all three objectives for all specimens until you get a feel for magnification
levels.
Begin to start thinking like a scientist as you per form your experi ments. Observe
carefully, take notes (make sure you date them), and most importantly, keep your
equipment and the working environment clean. Experiments work best with clean
and uncontaminated equipment. And your parents will be appreciative of a clean
work area, too.
Make Your Own Slides
It’s so easy to make slides that the variety of slides you can create will be limited
only by your own imagination.
A section of almost any material can be placed on a slide and observed with
a microscope. All you need is the proper equipment and a little patience, and
you’ll be making slides in no time. Everything you need for the experiments in
this booklet can be found in this kit or your home (make sure to ask a parent first
before you borrow any of his or her items, such as the measuring cup). Locate
the follow items:
- Scissors
- Paper towels
- Petroleum jelly
- A measuring cup
