Instruction Manual Meade 900X Microscope
Your new MEADE 900X Microscope is a doorway to new and exciting adventures and is designed to bring hours of enjoyment, wonder and just plain fun...discover the hidden microscopic world around you! Before trying out your new equipment, please take the time to read the important Cautionary and Safety information below. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS NOTE: This set may include chemicals that could be harmful if misused. Read all cautionary statements in this Manual.
aid information carefully. Keep them on hand for reference. b) The incorrect use of chemicals can cause injury and damage to one’s health. Use only the slide preparations listed in the instructions. c) This microscope is for children 8 years and up, and only with adult supervision. d) Because children’s abilities vary, even within age groups, supervising adults should exercise discretion regarding which slide preparations are suitable and safe for children.
Let’s Begin! Microscope Features Carefully lift the microscope from the box using two hands. Place one hand around the microscope arm and the other under the base. For best results, use the microscope on flat, sturdy surfaces. Always be mindful of your mirror and light source. The more light that is reflected or transmitted through the hole in the stage, the brighter and sharper the images will appear in the microscope eyepiece.
I. Slide Cover Slips TIP: Begin viewing at the lowest magnification or power and focus the object. Once the image is focused, increase magnification by turning the objective turret and refocus. J. Color Filter. Use this filter to add color and enhance an image in the eyepiece. K. Butterfly Specimen L. Petri Dish M. Brine Shrimp Hatchery N. Eyedropper O. Micro-slicer P. The Eyepiece with fixed lens that has a 10X magnification. Remove the dust cover from the eyepiece and put it aside in a safe place. Q.
T. TIP: Always keep both eyes open when looking through the eyepiece. Doing so will relieve stress on your eyes. The Stage Clips (2) hold the glass slide firmly onto the stage. U. Mirror/Light Source. While holding the base down, pull on the arm to tip the microscope back. Examine the mirror and light source located below the stage to see how you can adjust them, and choose one or the other. The light source turns on automatically when tipped upwards toward the stage.
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. 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.
NOTE: Use the color filter especially when looking at clear or dim specimens. ors are available in this position. Install the filter as described above and turn the light source (U, Fig. 1) until it turns on. 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. The Brine Shrimp Hatchery Brine shrimp are tiny crustaceans that are ideal for study with a microscope.
vae 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. 4.
(make sure to ask a parent for his or her permission), the desk in your room....any place where you can work undisturbed. Label 3 of your cups: clean, flush and waste. Fill the flush cup with clean water. Next, you will obtain a specimen and make your first slide. Want to See Crystals? Begin to start thinking like a scientist as you perform your experiments. Observe carefully, take notes (make sure you date them), and most importantly, keep your equipment and the working environment clean.
Further Experiments: Try out the above procedure with other salts such as Epsom and Rochelle. Sugar will also crystallize, but you will need to let it dry overnight for the crystals to form. Preparing a Mount Dip your spatula (C, Fig. 1) in some clean water and make a smear across a clean slide. Use your tweezers (A, Fig. 1) to place a portion of an insect—a wing, a leg, or an antenna—on the slide. Attach a cover slip (I, Fig. 1) over the specimen and place the slide on the microscope stage.
slide and place to the microscope stage. Observe the slide and write down your observations. You will see hundreds of starch grains. Take a few kernels from an uncooked ear of corn. Scrape off some shavings and make a smear as you did with the potato. Compare how the corn is different from potato. Create smears of other foods such as apples, bananas, peaches, and pineapples. You will observe that these items have membranes rather than starch.
the waste cup. Using the eyedropper, touch the slide just above the specimen area and slowly let the water drain into the cup. With a paper towel, pat the underside of slide dry. Be very careful and try not to touch the specimen. Allow the specimen to air dry for several minutes. Some of the specimen will be flushed away, but enough will remain on the slide to make good observations. To save your slides, follow the procedure described previously. CAUTION: The blade of the microslicer is very sharp.
a handful of dry grass and a pinch or two of dirt into the jar. Put the cap on the jar and keep it in a place where it will receive light (but not direct sunlight). Remember, you can make a specimen slide out of almost any material. When you are on a playground, at school, in a park, or just sitting around at home, train yourself to look at all the material around you. Keep an eye out for what might make a good specimen and discover the hidden microscopic world that surrounds us all.
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