Final answer:
To examine mitotic cells under a microscope, begin with a low-power objective to locate sections on a stained slide, switch to a medium-power and then a high-power objective to view individual cells, and scan the slide to identify cells in different mitotic stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
To examine mitotic cells under a microscope, one starts by placing a prepared microscope slide of a sample, such as whitefish blastula cross-sections, under the scanning objective. Initially, you should locate and focus on one of the sections using the low-power objective, where you'll notice the section is densely packed with individual cells.
Next, switch to the medium-power objective to gain a clearer view, although the chromosomes may still appear quite small.
Following this, shift to the high-power objective for the finest details. It's crucial to move the slide gently left to right, and up and down to comprehensively examine all the cells in the section. During this process, you will realize that most cells are in the interphase stage rather than in mitosis.
In order to accurately identify the mitotic stage of the cells, it's necessary to understand the unique characteristics of each phase, from prophase to telophase.
Additionally, some slides might use fluorescent staining to highlight cellular components, like mitotic spindles, which can be quite helpful. Remember, the mitotic stages (prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase) are distinctly recognizable when compared to the interphase cells.