12
The Equipment
This section presents the items
that you will find in your
experiment kit and explains
how to use them. These items
constitute the basic
equipment for all your
microscopic investigations.
Because they are used for the
preparation of specimen
slides, they are also called
“specimen slide equipment.”
1. Without slides and cover slips, of
course, you can’t do much
microscopic investigation. The slide
serves as a foundation for all
objects that you want to study
under the microscope. The objects
(with very few exceptions) should
always be placed in a drop of water
and covered with a cover slip. The
illustration shows you how to do it.
You will find examples of easy-to-
prepare beginner’s specimen slides
starting on page 12 in the
microscopy book.
2. For these initial specimens, you will
also be using three additional
specimen slide tools: the pipette,
the tweezers, and the dissecting
needle.
The pipette is the standard tool for
suctioning up a small quantity of
liquid and transferring it to the slide
or into another container.
The tweezers and dissecting needle
will help you grab very small
objects, or position them or pull
them apart on the slide. Be careful
with the dissecting needle — it’s
really sharp! You can also use the
tweezers to place the cover slip
over the specimen. Just be careful,
because cover slips break easily.
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