Best Lab Equipment

Here are some more information for Compound Microscopes:

How Each of the Microscope Parts Functions

This will make you more of an expert on the subject and allow you to intelligently evaluate how well one is working--and whether it needs a replacement part. With that in mind, let's examine the subject of the microscope's parts and how they work.

Generations of people around the world have made use of the microscope. Through the decades and centuries, its basic design has remained much the same. Even though microscopes have changed through the years, from the basic light much microscope all the way to electron microscopes, the parts and functions of a compound microscope are remarkably the same.

A microscope will only work correctly as long as each of its individual parts is working correctly. When one part ceases working properly, it will likely hinder the effectiveness of the instrument altogether. The main parts of most microscopes are the tube, lenses, illuminator, arm, adjustment knobs, and stage.

You'll find two basic kinds of lenses on the typical microscope. First of the lenses is the eyepiece lens (or the "ocular lens," as it's also called). This ocular lens is found at the microscope's top. This is the part that the microscope user looks through. It's typically not adjustable. The microscope's second lens is known as the objective lens. It's the one that provides most of the instrument's magnification. Indeed, most microscopes don't have one, but several objective lenses. Each objective lens varies in magnification strength.

The microscope's objective lenses are part of a circular portion of the scope. It's found between the eyepiece and stage. The user selects the objective lens based on the strength that he needs and the strength provided by that objective lens. If the user desires a different zoom level, he rotates the circular disc, thus placing a different lens above the stage. Connecting the ocular lens and the objective lenses are the part of the microscope called the tube. The user looks through the ocular lens and through the tube, finally seeing out of the bottom, through one of the objective lenses.

The specimen or object to be examined is placed on a part called the stage. Slides are secured to the stage by use of clamps. On these slides will be the specimens to be examined--specimens such as blood or micro-organisms. Immediately below the stage is something such as a mirror or, on a compound light microscope, a light. This mirror or light is called the illuminator, and it's what makes it easier for the user to see the specimen.

Finally, there is a pair of adjustment knobs on most types of microscope. The adjusters are used to assist in focusing the lenses. The coarse one is the larger of these two knobs--the one that pulls the lens and stage nearer together. The fine adjuster is the smaller of the adjustment knobs. First, the user adjusts the coarse knob and then the smaller one to give the tiny adjustments needed to bring the object into clearer focus.

These microscope parts and functions are the same on almost all microscopes that you'll encounter. There is some small variation, with slightly different parts on some (For example, on an electron microscope, there will be electron beams rather than typical illuminators; it thus varies a bit from the parts and functions of the compound microscope). Yet the basic functions and parts are the same. If you learn how each of these microscope parts functions, it will be easier for you to know a good microscope from a bad one.

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About the Author

Which Specimens would be best viewed by different types of microscopes?

I am trying to find maybe 3 different specimens, that would be best viewed under these types of microscopes.
1. Compound Microscope
2. Stereoscopic Microscope
3. Scanning Electron Microscope
4. Transmission Electron Microscope

1) A compound microscope is the type of microscope that most people are familiar with. It has on ocular piece for one eye to do the observing.

2) A stereoscopic microscope has two eyepieces.
Both types of microscopes are good for studying tiny specimens using light energy. They have a limitation, of 3000 times magnification. Beyond 3,000 times magnification the resolution of the specimen does not improve. The object looks bigger but no further detail can be seen. (this will change once transmission light microscopes will have lenses that have negative focal points. They were discovered just about 5 years ago. Meaningful magnification is thought to be good until 20,000 times).
Both of these microscopes allow us to view small organisms and tissues, etc.

4) Electron transmission microscopes use electrons instead of light waves to peer through the specimen. Electrons have a much shorter wavelength than light. These microscopes can give resolution to at least a million times magnification.
Like the 2 microscopes already discussed above the specimen is cut into very thin slices for viewing. (the light shines through the specimen slice. These microscopes allow us to study cell organelles, and portions of them etc. that are invisible to the naked eye.

3) a scanning electron microscope examines the whole organism or a portion thereof. It looks at the outside of it. Magnification is much greater than the light microscopes but substantially less than the transmission electron microscope.
About 50,000 magnifications. (that's an educated guess, if you require more precision consult a textbook on that point).
A scanning electron microscope allows people to view tiny external details of organisms and exterior portions of them. For example different pollen grains, plant hairs etc.
Hope that helps.
Doc. Dan.

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