The 3 states of matter were listed; solids, liquids, and gases. The first to be examined were solids. In order to better picture a specific type of solid, a crystalline solid, the microscope was used to examine some crystals of table salt. The proper use of the microscope, including the main parts, the magnification of the objective lenses and eyepiece, and the proper way to focus was exemplified by using a slide of a letter "e" cut from a newspaper. The salt was examined under 3 objective strengths and described. The characteristics of a solid were listed and discussed.