When using a brightfield microscope, the background:

• A. appears bright while the specimen appears darker
• B. changes color depending on the type of specimen
• C. is completely black regardless of the specimen
• D. appears dark while the specimen appears brighter

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the principle of brightfield microscopy: it works by transmitting light through the specimen, so the background is illuminated by the light source.
2. Recognize that in brightfield microscopy, the specimen absorbs or scatters some of the light, causing it to appear darker compared to the bright background.
3. Recall that the background does not change color based on the specimen type; it remains bright because it is the light passing through the slide without obstruction.
4. Note that the background is not completely black; instead, it is bright because the light source is directly visible through the slide where there is no specimen.
5. Conclude that the correct description is that the background appears bright while the specimen appears darker under brightfield microscopy.