Basic Microscope Stuff: Defining the Compound Microscope
The compound microscope is one of the two types of modern microscopes (the other being the stereo microscope). It is called compound because it uses more than one major optical part. The compound microscope uses objective lenses and the eyepiece to provide you with a better view of the specimen.
Way Back Then
In the older times, the compound microscope can be monocular or binocular. A monocular compound is one wherein you only need to use one of your eyes to look through the eyepiece. A binocular compound, on the other hand, allows for the use of both of your eyes. Today, you don't see a monocular microscope anymore. If you know of someone using one, please tell him or her that the world has already modernized. Tell him/her that there's already a better way of appreciating the micro-world - and that's through the binocular compound microscope. In fact, there's a better item on the list, and that's called the trinocular microscope.
A trinocular microscope is simply a spin-off of the binocular, wherein a third vertical viewing port is available. Since no ordinary human being has three eyes, the third part is not meant for your third eye. Rather, it can be used by a second viewer - your instructor, perhaps -to view the same specimen that you are trying to examine. Alternatively, the third port can be used for a camera (video or still).
Working Together
As mentioned earlier, the compound microscope is powerful because of the use of two optical parts. Let's examine what each part means, and what it is used for:
a. The objective lenses - The objective lenses are those that are closest to the specimen. They are mainly used to gather light from the specimen. A compound microscope usually has 3 to 5 objective lenses, each with a different degree of magnification.
The objective lenses are held together by the nosepiece. By rotating the nosepiece, you can select which objective lens to use.
b. The eyepiece. This is the part where you put your eyes on to have a clear view of the specimen being examined. This is cylindrical in shape. The eyepiece, also called the ocular, is in fact a lens.
By using both optical mechanisms, the compound microscope is rarely limited when it comes to magnification. Imagine, you already have a lens near your eyes (the eyepiece) to help you see the specimen, but you also have different objective lenses! Surely, viewing a single specimen has never been this clear.
Still, there are many more terms related to the microscope aside from compound and stereo. If differentiating the two - add to that binoculars and trinoculars - is already mind-boggling, how much more if you add a metallurgical, a research and a fluorescent microscope on the list? Now, that sounds like a lot of work.
Still, never mind. You'd surely remember all the terms once you've dedicated a substantial amount of time studying them. In the meantime, just focus your attention on the compound microscope: it is the kind that uses two optical parts to provide you with better total magnification.
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