Science Practical (biology), please help (again)...simple q...?

Question

okay, when (in biology practical exams) we are supposed to look at some permanent slides and recognize what type of cell they are(eg. parenchyma, schlerenchyma, striated muscle cell, non striated muscle cell, etc.)

Well, i cant recognize any of them...

i cant see The things that it says you are supposed to look for in the textbook...the textbook diagrams look different from what i actually see in the slide...when i see the slide i just see a few lines, and not much else...(its a compound microscope)...

So, please help me and tell me what to do...

maybe i need to change the zoom thing???

maybe diagrams in the textbook are different from the real???

maybe something else???

anyway, please give me advice for how to recognise the different cells (would help if you have done something like this before...)....

Answer 1

toterer is correct in describing microscope setup for making the kind of observation that you wish to make. However, it sounds like to me that you are talking about a bio-lab examination where you walk around the room peering into different microscopes at different cell types, where you determine what cell type you are seeing.  So, we can assume that the slides are professionally made and that the microscopes have already been setup for proper observing---little or no adjustment by the student required.  If all that you're seeing is some lines, you're not looking at cells at all.  Most likely, either the slide itself is out of alignment or the microscope's objective lens turrent is slightly offset and has not "clicked" into place.  In either case, you won't likely see your cell sample.

You did not say if your viewing problem persist from one microscope to the next.  If it does, then something else is going on there.

My advise is to follow toterer's suggested microscope setup procedure and just play with the microscope's mechanics until you see what it is you wish to observe.

If the slides in question or not professionally made, then what you see under the microscope may not be the same or even similar to what you see in the text book.  Cells of different types have differerent physical and biochemical characteristics. They take up and display "stains" differently, for example.  Without staining, cells may be difficult to even see.

If you cannot resolve the problem on your own, you need to bring it to the attention of your teacher.

See: Cellular Structure and Function

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/...

Good luck.

Answer 2

Sorry, guy, but only good practice can help you. Histology is clearly practical one. You can try to find any experienced guy who can show all that things for you.  

Answer 3

If what you see is just lines, there is a very high possibility that you are using the wrong magnification.The lines you saw a most probably a bunch of cells. The magnifying power of microscopes lenses are usually indicated by marking on objectives and eyepieces.(e.g 4X, 10X, 40X, 100X)

You should first locate the samples by using maybe the 40x objectives by looking through into the ocular and by using the coarse-adjustment k**b. Once you are sure that the cells you are looking for are in view and clear, do not adjust the slide anymore. Change the objective to 100X now and look through into the ocular again. If the cells are blurry, use only the fine-adjustment k**b to adjust the focus.

And there you get it!(sorry, cant help you on the different cells. i'm a biotechnology student)