When observing a specimen under a microscope, you can't just immediately view it - there is preparation that must happen first. This is usually done on a temporary mount, where the specimen is suspended in a small drop of liquid.
How do you prepare a microscope slide?
- Use a pipette to squeeze a drop of water into the middle of the slide
- Use tweezers to place a thin section of specimen onto the water drop
- Add a drop of stain to the specimen
- Add a cover slip to the specimen, but try to prevent air bubbles as they will affect the view of the specimen