The

Microscope
 What is Microscope???
 Microscope is a tool that produces enlarged images of small objects,
allowing the observer to have an exceedingly close view of minute
structures in a slide. It is primarily used for examination and analysis.
 The science of investigating very tiny organisms and small objects
using the microscope is microscopy.
 The development of the microscope allowed scientists to make new
insights into the body and disease.
 During 14th century, European artisan crafted lenses, which are curved
pieces of glass, to make devices that could magnify objects and correct
visons.
 17th century by renaissance period microscope was made of porcelain
and glass wares.
 What is Microscope???
 In 1625, the term microscope was already used by Italian scholars.
 Francesco Stelluti and Federico Cesi in their book about honey bees.
 This beautiful microscope was made for the famous British scientist Robert
Hooke in the late 1600s, and was one of the most elegant microscopes built
during the period. Hooke illustrated the microscope in his Micrographia, one of
the first detailed treatises on microscopy and imaging.
 What is Microscope???
 Anton van Leeuwenhoek (October 24, 1632–August 30, 1723)
invented the first practical microscopes and used them to become
the first person to see and describe bacteria, among other
microscopic discoveries.
 Indeed, van Leeuwenhoek's work effectively refuted the doctrine
of spontaneous generation, the theory that living
organisms could spontaneously emerge from
nonliving matter.
 His studies also led to the development
of the sciences of bacteriology and protozoology.
 Around the beginning of the
1600s, through work attributed
to the Janssen brothers in the
Netherlands and Galileo in Italy,
the compound microscope was
developed
 Parts
of the
Microscope
1. Eyepiece or Ocular Lens- magnifies the image of the specimen. This part is also
known as ocular. Most school microscopes have an eyepiece with 10X
magnification.
2. Eyepiece Tube or Body Tube- The tube hold the eyepiece.
3. Nosepiece- holds the objective lenses and is sometimes called a revolving turret.
You choose the objective lens by rotating to the specific lens one you want to use.
4. Objective Lenses- Most compound microscopes come with three or four objective
lenses that revolve on the nosepiece. The most common objective lenses have
power of 4X, 10X and 40X. Combined with the magnification of the eyepiece the
resulting magnification is 40X, 100X and 400X magnification. Total magnification
is calculated by multiplying the power of the eyepiece by the power of the
objective lens. (10X Eyepiece X 40X Objective = 400X Total Magnification)
Some more advanced microscopes have an additional objective lens with 100X
power. This results in 1,000X magnification.
5. Arm- connects the base to the nosepiece and eyepiece. It is the structural part that
is also used to carry the microscope.
6. Stage- is where the specimen is placed. This place is for observation.
7. Stage Clips- are the supports that hold the slides in place on the stage.
8. Diaphragm (sometimes called the Iris)- controls the amount of light passing through the
slide. It is located below the stage and is usually controlled by a round dial. How to set
the diaphragm is determined by the magnification, transparency of the specimen and the
degree of contrast you wish to have in your image. Also called the condenser diaphragm.
9. Illuminator- Most light microscopes use a low voltage bulb which supplies light through
the stage and onto to the specimen. Mirrors are sometimes used instead of a built-in light.
If your microscope has a mirror, it provides light reflected from ambient light sources like
classroom lights or sunlight if outdoors.
10. Coarse focus- moves the stage to provide general focus on the specimen. When bringing
a specimen into focus, the course dial is the first one used.
11. Fine focus- moves the stage in smaller increments to provide a clear view of the
specimen. When bringing a specimen into focus, the fine focus dial is the second one
used.
12. Base- is the main support of the microscope. The bottom, where all the other parts of the
microscope stand.
 Functions of Microscope
• The primary function of a microscope is to study biological
specimens.
• A microscope solely functions on two concepts –
magnification and resolution.
• Magnification is simply the ability of the microscope to
enlarge the image. Whereas the ability to analyse minute
details depends on the resolution.
• Compound and dissection microscopes are the two types of
microscopes that are mostly used in schools for educational
purposes.
 Functions of Compound Microscope
 It simplifies the study of viruses and bacteria.
 They are used in pathology labs to make an easy diagnosis of
diseases.
 They are also used in forensic laboratories to identify human
fingerprints.
 Both simple and compound microscopes can be used for
microbiological studies. Specimens like fungi and algae can be
viewed under these microscopes. Microscopes can also be
used to study soil particles.
 Functions of Dissection Microscope
 Help to study the topography of solid samples.
 It is used for dissections and microsurgical procedures
 It is also used in forensic engineering
Functions of Electron Microscope
 Electron microscopes are expensive devices that are mostly
used in industrial and medical research.
 They are used for micro characterization of a sample
 Helps in tissue imaging
 Device testing
 Mineral liberation analysis