Microscopes allow specimens to be viewed at a higher magnification than is possible with the naked eye. Calibrating a microscope enables a physical measurement to be taken and can be used to determine the size of a specimen.
Instructions
1. Place the reticule into the eyepiece. Next, adjust the eyepiece so that the scale that is etched onto the reticule is sharply focused.
2. Place the micrometer on the microscope stage. There is a circle that is etched onto the micrometer that can be seen with the naked eye. Use the circle to center the micrometer, and focus the microscope using the low-power objective lens. Next, place the desired objective into position and sharply focus the stage micrometer scale.
3. Use the x-y knobs to control the movement of the stage. Line up the eyepiece reticule with the stage micrometer. Once two sets of lines match up, look for another location where they line up precisely again.
4. Calculate the distance on the stage micrometer between the two lines that match up. For example, if the distance between two divisions is 10 micrometers, and there are 15 divisions between the two lines that match up, then the total distance is 150 micrometers.
5. Count the number of divisions on the eyepiece reticule between the two lines that match up, then figure out the distance between each line. For example, if there are 30 divisions between the two lines that match up, and we know from the stage micrometer that this distance is 150 micrometers, then each division on the eyepiece represents 150 micrometers/30 divisions = 5 micrometers / division.
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