Why do samples have to be placed on a slide before you view them on a compound microscope?

Question

this is for biology class when i say sample i mean whatever ist is that you want to look at

Answer 1

A couple of reasons:
1) The focal length of the microscope is important - that's the point where light is focused by the lenses so you can see what the light passes through. If you don't put the slide at the right height, then you won't be able to focus
2) It keeps the lens and the light source from getting stuff all over them.
3) it allows you to look at the same sample again and again and again if you need to - after all, if you smeared stuff all over the lens, then wiped it off, but need to look at it again, where are you? You're up the creek, that's where.
4) Glass (you know, what slides are made of) is nonreactive, meaning it doesn't get screwed up by dyes, treatments, or fixes to hold the sample in place. The same can't be said about your fingers, which also contain oils that will screw up a sample.
5) How else are you going to hold it in place? Tweezers? Fingertips?

Answer 2

Wet mounting requires water. It is a slide preparation technique that is commonly used to contain living organisms, whether or not they are mobile. Preparing the slide on a wet mount basically follows the same procedure as the dry mount technique. The only difference is that water is being added to the equation.

Answer 3

So that the sample can be contained and held in position. Otherwise, it would just be over the condenser and would muck up the light source.

Answer 4

to fix the sample in its position and sometimes needs wetting to avoid displacement of sample and see it clearly

Answer 5

Yes it is sometimes died or colored so u can see it. The sample needs to be very thin.

Answer 6

I thinks so your microscope doesn't get messy. That's my guess anyway.

Answer 7

What else do you think would work?