Cell Phone Microscope

Magnify The World Around you

What you'll need

laser pointer cat toy
bobby pin
cell phone with a camera
glue
tape
pliers

Instructions

Unscrew the base of the laser pointer and remove as many internal components as you can. Ask an adult to use the pliers to remove the outside metal of the laser pointer and any parts blocking the lens.
Remove the lens, being careful not to scratch it. Place this in a safe location. Note: touch only the edges to avoid leaving fingerprints on the lens.
Gently bend a bobby pin until the open end has a small gap.
Place a small dab of glue on either side of the open end of the bobby pin and insert the edges of the lens. You want the circular sides of the lens to be facing out without any glue or part of the bobby pin coming over the edge.
Let you new microscope dry!
Overlap the lens of the mini microscope with the lens of your camera and tape the bobby pin in place. Be careful none of the tape overlaps the camera or lens.
Focus your new microscope in two ways. First, by changing the zoom on your camera. Second, by changing the distance between your camera and what you are trying to view.
Once in focus, hold your phone steady and take an image!
If you get stuck, use this helpful tutorial.

The Science

Cameras and microscopes both create images using the optics of different lenses. In a camera, the image is smaller than the actual field of view. In a microscope, the image is a magnification of what is being viewed. This is accomplished by changing the distance between lenses. When you change the distance between your lens and what you are trying to view, your image comes in and out of focus as you get close to the best distance for viewing your sample. You can learn more about this by reading the section on magnifying glass here.

When using your microscope, make sure enough light is getting to your sample. If you are viewing something you can't see light through, like a penny, make sure you have a lot of light over top. If you are viewing something thinner, like a leaf, try lighting your sample from the back. You can put it over a flashlight or cool LED light bulb. If you can separate your sample into thinner pieces, you will be able to see even more detail.

Experiment Ideas

Onion Cells

Cut a piece of yellow onion about the size of your thumb nail. Peel it as thin as you can. If it is so thin it is almost totally transparent, you will be able to see individual cells.
Place your onion layer on a small piece of glass or plastic. If you can't find something like that, place it as evenly as you can on a piece of clear tape folded so the non-sticky sides are facing out.
Add a drop of water on top of your onion layer, then add a small drop of food dye on top of the water drop, blotting it off QUICKLY with a paper towel. This will make the onion cels easier to see.
Place your onion layer setup over a bright light source and start exploring with your microscope!
Add a drop of salty water on top of your onion layer and let it sit for 15 minutes before wicking off with a paper towel. Do you see any changes in your cells?

Leaf layers

Peel a leaf into as thin a layer as possible so you can see light through it.
Put your leaf over a bright light source and observe the cells.
Do you see the green chloroplasts moving?
Do you see any differences between the leaves of different kinds of plants?

Onion cells seen at low magnification after being stained with food dye.

Leaf cells viewed at low magnification. Individual, small green dots are chloroplasts that help plants turn light into energy for the cell.

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