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A microscope is a piece of equipment that magnifies small objects. Some microscopes can even see the shape of a cell, its nucleus, mitochondria and other organelles at the cellular level, allowing scientists to see the shape of a cell, its nucleus, mitochondria and other organelles. While a modern microscope has several components, the lenses are the most crucial. The picture of an object can be magnified and examined in depth using the microscope’s lenses. A convex lens, which has both sides curved outwards, is used in a simple light microscope to manipulate how light enters the eye. Light bends towards the eye when it reflects off of an object beneath the microscope and goes through the lens. This makes the object appear larger than it is.
Simple Microscope
Simple Microscopes are utilised at a very basic level, where rigorous investigation is not required. It is made up of a single lens. It is a device that produces a big image of a small item. It creates a virtual representation of the thing that is upright. It has a short focal length and a double convex lens.
Various parts of a Simple Microscope
Eyepiece: It is the user’s lens through which the sample is viewed.
Body: This portion connects the microscope’s base to the head, giving a vertical and erect support.
Specimen stage: It’s where the samples are kept until they’re ready to be viewed.
Objective lens: These are the lenses having 100x, 40x, and 10x magnification powers. These are colour-coded and can be moved around to meet the demands of the user.
Aperture Diaphragm: It is used to adjust the quantity of light falling on the sample and can be opened and closed.
Nosepiece: It houses the objective lenses and can be rotated to get the desired magnification. It’s also known as a turret.
Base: It serves as the microscope’s supporting element.
Applications of Simple Microscope
It’s used to look at microscopic creatures like fungi, algae, and biological samples.
Watchmakers frequently use it to examine the magnified image of small elements of the watch.
It is used to examine engravings, stamps, and other archaeological material in depth.
Jewellers use it to examine and inspect jewellery under a magnifying microscope.
Palmists and astrologers utilise it to examine an enlarged image of our fingerprints.
Skin doctors use it to look for and diagnose skin allergies and disorders.
It’s utilised in soil science and nutrition research.
It’s utilised to research ancient texts and manuscripts.
Compound Microscope
A compound microscope serves the same goal as a basic microscope. It magnifies real-world objects that are tiny to the naked eye using numerous lenses. It is used for professional applications that necessitate extensive investigation. On one side, it has a flat mirror surface, while on the other, it has a concave mirror surface. Multiple lenses are used in compound microscopes.
Different parts of a Compound Microscope
Base: It serves as a foundation for the compound microscope.
Arm: The vertical support for the microscope is provided by the curved framework.
Stage: The stage is the horizontal plate where the samples are held for examination. It has an aperture that can be adjusted to allow light to pass through.
Clips: The slide is held in place using clips.
Diaphragm: It determines how much light falls on the sample. Iris and disc diaphragms are two different forms of diaphragms.
Nosepiece: It houses the objective lenses and can be rotated to get the desired magnification. It’s also known as a turret.
Coarse adjustment knob: It’s the huge bump located on the side of the body. It’s utilised to fine-tune the body tube’s focus on the sample.
Fine adjustment knob: This knob can be adjusted for finer and sharper focusing. It’s the small adjustment knob to the left of the coarse adjustment knob.
Applications of Compound Microscope
It’s most commonly used in pathology labs to identify viruses and bacteria.
This microscope can be used to examine plant cells and the bacteria that live on them.
It is used to determine the presence or absence of minerals and metals in blood samples and other biological materials.
It aids in the examination and comprehension of the microbiological field of viruses and bacteria, which is impossible to observe with the naked eye.
It’s used in a forensics lab to aid in the investigation of crimes.
It’s even used to conduct academic experiments in schools and colleges.
Difference between Simple Microscope and Compound Microscope
Simple Microscope | Compound Microscope |
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek invented and designed the first simple microscope in 1670. | Hans and Zacharias Janssen created the first of this type of microscope in 1950. |
Used in the most basic of setups. | When extensive research is required, this is the tool to use. |
It’s only used in the most basic sense. It sports a short focal length bi-convex lens. | It’s used to get a closer look at small objects. |
It only has one lens. | A minimum of two pairs of lenses are necessary. |
Only one level of magnification is available. | The objective lens and the eyepiece combine to make total magnification. |
The magnification power can go up to 300X. | The magnification power can go up to 2,000X. |
The item is centred within the convex lens’ focus length. | The object is outside of the objective lens’s focus length. |
There is no condenser lens. | There is a condenser lens present. |
Natural light is used as a source of illumination. | The term “illuminator” refers to a light source. |
A concave mirror is used. | On one side, it’s a plane mirror, and on the other, it’s a concave mirror. |
Used to observe little objects, such as reading small print, and so on. | Used to examine plant leaves, animal cells, blood corpuscles, and other structures. |
Conclusion
Simple Microscopes are utilised at a very basic level, where rigorous investigation is not required. Compound microscopes are utilised in professional settings when extensive study is needed. A single lens is used in a simple microscope, whereas two lenses are used in a compound microscope.
A simple microscope magnification is roughly 300x, while a compound microscope magnification is around 2000x. A lens is included in a simple microscope. A plane mirror on one side and a concave mirror on the other make up a compound microscope.
