Which objective lens is typically used to locate the specimen on a light microscope?

• A. 100x (oil immersion objective)
• B. 40x (high power objective)
• C. 4x (scanning objective)
• D. 10x (low power objective)

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the purpose of each objective lens on a light microscope: the scanning objective (usually 4x) is designed for quickly locating the specimen on the slide with a wide field of view.
2. Recognize that higher magnification lenses, such as 10x (low power), 40x (high power), and 100x (oil immersion), provide more detail but have a narrower field of view, making it harder to initially find the specimen.
3. Recall that the scanning objective lens (4x) allows you to see a larger area of the slide, which helps in positioning the specimen under the microscope before switching to higher magnifications.
4. Note that once the specimen is located using the 4x objective, you can then switch to higher power objectives to observe finer details.
5. Summarize that the typical workflow starts with the 4x scanning objective to locate the specimen, followed by progressively higher magnifications for detailed observation.