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Simple and Compound Microscope are two main types of microscope.(Simple Microscope) is a microscope which does not use any additional optical element to magnify the specimen. The name, simple microscope, is due to the fact that it does not have any lenses inside the tube. (Compound Microscope) on the other hand is a microscope which has at least one lens inside its tube and this lens will magnify specimens by either focusing light or form an image on a screen. This article will briefly highlight the features of Simple and Compound Microscope along with differences.
What is a Simple Microscope?
Simple Microscope is a type of microscope which does not use any additional optical elements. It consists of two main components, a body and movable stage.The main components
Stage: The stage or the base of the microscope which is connected with the body and is the point for the specimen to stand or sit on it. The base has three basic movements, up, down and side left right. Body: The other main component of a simple microscope, it houses all the lens that give image to specimen as well as magnifying power. Body will have a lens inside them which allows light rays to pass through and allows magnifying effects to occur.Features of Simple Microscope
- Light rays from the specimen are sent directly to the eye without any modification
- Able to view a wide range of specimen size and shape
- Relatively cheap and easy to make
What is the Compound Microscope?
Compound microscope on the other hand is a slightly more complex version of Simple Microscope. It will have at least one lens inside its body which magnifies specimens by either focusing light or forming images on a screen. The single lens is generally called Objectives and there are different types of objectives which are used for different types of specimen. Compound microscope consists of two main components, tube and base.Basic components of Compound Microscope
- Tube: The other main component of a compound microscope, it houses all the lenses that give image to specimen as well as magnifying power. Tube will have a lens inside them which allows light rays to pass through and allows magnifying effects to occur
- Base: The base is the part of a compound microscope that has rich movements. It can go up down the left side and rotate left right. It also has some parts which are part of the stage where the specimen stands on it or sits on it
Features of Compound Microscope
- Light rays from the specimen are sent directly to the eye without any modification
- Able to view a wide range of specimen size and shape
- Relatively high cost and difficult to make
Difference between Simple Microscope and Compound Microscope
- The placement of Objectives: Objectives on simple microscopes are the lenses that are used to magnify specimens. Objectives in compound microscope will work with both simple microscope and compound microscope. They magnify the specimen which is being observed by the optical system under them. (Further details below)
- The Magnifying power: Simple Microscope has relatively low power lens inside it and Compound Microscope is a more powerful version of it. Simple Microscope is also called lower power microscope and Compound Microscope is called higher power microscope
- The Magnification: Simple microscope will have a lower magnification than a compound microscope. Compound microscope will show more details of the specimen and hence it is always a better option to use a compound microscope
- Stage: The stage or the base of a simple microscope is relatively smaller than that of a compound microscope. This is because it does not need to be wider like compound microscopes which have a wide range of specimens to view
- Platform for specimen: Stage on a simple microscope is generally smaller than that of compound microscopes as detailed above. It is because it does not need to be wide like compound microscopes which have a wide range of specimens to view
- Lens: A compound microscope uses two Objective lenses and a single eyepiece lens. Simple microscope on the other hand will have more lenses inside it and they are known as Zoom Lens
- The style of working: A simple microscope, due to its low magnification power and cheap cost, can be used for home purposes and by students. Compound microscope on the other hand is a more powerful version of simple microscope and is better for experienced users and can not be used for home purposes
Applications of Simple Microscope
Simple Microscope is generally used in classrooms or colleges to teach students basics about specimens that they are observing. It does not have a wide range of applications as compound microscopes have.Applications of Compound Microscope
- Used in laboratories to get accurate magnification of specimens and study them
- Used by researchers to study a wide range of specimens without changing the microscope or opening the case or jar
- Used by biologists, doctors and other professionals as a tool for their work
- Used by government institutions for protecting its citizens from harmful diseases about which they need to be kept informed
