Compound Microscope

The Compound Microscope: Parts and How to Use It

The compound microscope is the most basic microscope used by science students. It is most popularly seen in laboratories. For students who will use this microscope, it is essential that they learn the basics of how to use a compound microscope.

The compound microscope is typically described as a microscope with two stages of magnification. The first stage is from the objective lens. The second stage is the eyepiece. Compound microscopes may have one or two binocular heads for the viewer to examine microscopic organisms, collectively called specimens. The compound microscope also has mechanism to illuminate the specimen for better viewing. The viewing of the specimen is achieved through the interaction of light and the lenses positioned above the specimen. The objective lenses are usually adjustable in order to magnify the specimen.

To examine the parts of the compound microscope in detail, it is best to begin with the basic parts. The first basic part of the compound microscope is the head, also called the body of the microscope. This part is located at the upper part of the microscope. It is where the optical mechanisms are. The second basic part is the arm. It is located below the head of the microscope. This part serves as the backbone of the compound microscope. It connects the head and the base. The bottom-most part of the microscope is the base, which contains the illuminator.

Zooming into the more detailed parts, the optical components of the compound microscope are the following: the eyepiece, the eyepiece tube, the objective lenses, the nosepiece, coarse and fine focus knobs, the stage, the stage clips, the aperture, the illuminator, the condenser, the iris diaphragm and the condenser focus knob. The eyepiece serves as the viewer’s main window into viewing the microscopic organism. Eyepieces have different magnification powers, namely 5x, 10x and 30x. Compound microscopes are generally equipped with 10x eyepieces, while 5x and 30x are optional. The eyepiece tube is what holds the eyepiece above the objective lenses, which serve as the primary optical lenses. The magnification of objective lenses range from 4x to 100x. Compound microscopes can be equipped with only three objective lenses at a time, with only one used to show the viewer the specimen. The objective lenses are equipped on the nosepiece. The nosepiece may be used to rotate the three objective lenses.

Apart from these primary optical components, the coarse and fine knobs may be used to further focus on the specimen. The specimen, which is encased in slides, is mounted upon the stage of the compound microscope and stage clips are used to manually move the different sections of the slide under the objective lens.

“compound microscope – High magnification produced by convex lenses enables a detailed study of micro-organisms, cells and tissues.”

The previously discussed parts of the compound microscope deal with magnification and mounting of the specimen. The following parts deal with the illumination of the specimen. Firstly, right below where the slide is mounted is the aperture. This allows the light in the microscope to focus towards the slide. Below that is the illuminator, which is the main source of light for the microscope. The iris diaphragm and the condenser are typically in conjunction with each other. The condenser collects and focuses the light from the illuminator to the specimen, while the iris diaphragm control the amount of light focused unto the specimen. The last part of the compound microscope is the condenser focus knob, which directs the condenser.

Like most scientific instruments, the compound microscope should be treated with care and delicacy. It is advisable to carry this instrument only by the arm and the base. It must not be left uncovered if not in use and must be encased in Styrofoam for prolonged storage. Never touch the lenses of the compound microscope because this might cause scratches that would disturb the magnification of the image. Compound microscopes must also be cleaned with a damp cloth and regularly with the help of a technician. The microscope must also be placed on a secure table, away from the edge so it won’t fall. Remember to view the specimen with both your eyes open because viewing it with one eye can be cause strain on that eye. Viewing the compound microscope with two eyes may be uncomfortable in the beginning, but one will get used to it.

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Types of Compound Microscope

A compound microscope uses more than one lens to magnify the objects to be studied. Following are some of the basic types of compound microscopes:

·         Standard Compound Light Microscopes: It consists of an eyepiece lens which is in lined with revolving nose piece that holds two or more objective lenses. Specimen to be studied is set on a stage which is directly placed under the revolving nose piece. Light is passed from below in the stage through a hole which passes on to the sample and then to the lenses. An image of the specimen is enlarged by usually 10X with eyepiece lens and then it is further enlarged with objective lens fitted to revolving nose piece by 4X, 10X, 40X or 100X.

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Parts of a Compound Microscope

To be able to achieve the full potential of the microscope and to use it properly, it is important to have knowledge about the basic parts of the compound microscope and their functions.

Following are the basic parts of a compound microscope with Read the rest of this entry »

Everything You Need To Know About a Compound Microscope

A microscope is an instrument which magnifies small objects to reveal the details invisible to naked eye. Commonly, microscopes are of two types – simple microscope and compound microscope. The simple microscope uses one lens, capable of magnifications of between 70 and 250 times whereas, compound microscope uses a combination of two lenses and can produce magnifications of up to 2000 times the size of the object viewed.

The compound microscope uses two lenses – an objective lens and an eye lens. This gives it a much greater power of Read the rest of this entry »