Parts of a Microscope

• hi

  A) tube

  B) eyepiece (ocular)

  C) head

  D) nosepiece

  E) objective lenses

  F) stage clips

  G) aperture

  H) stage

  I) condenser

  J) iris diaphragm

  K) illuminator

  L) base

  M) fine adjustment knob

  N) coarse adjustment knob

  O) arm

  
• there are two types of microscopes: "compound microscope" and "simple microscope"
• "Simple microscopes" - composed of only one lense and provide low magnifying powers
• "Compound microscopes" - composed of two or more lenses that provide powerful magnification
• A CLM parts are categorized into three: illuminating parts, magnifying parts and mechanical parts
• "Illuminating parts" - parts that provide light
• Light may come from two sources: natural source (reflected sunlight) or artificial light (light bulb)
• "Mirror" - reflects the light from the source to the specimen
• "Diaphragm" - regulates the amount of light striking the specimen
• "Eyepice (ocular)" - focuses light to the eye; where the observer peeps through
• "Objective" - gathers light
• "Magnifying parts" - parts that enlarge the object or specimen
• "Ocular lens" enlarges the object 6x or 10x
• "Objective lenses" - gathers light and magnify the image. Most often, a CLM has three objectives:

  • "Low Power Objective (LPO)" - locates and enlarges the specimen 10x
  • "High Power Objective (HPO)" - enlarges the specimen 40x, 43x, or 45x
  • "Oil Immersion Objective (OIO)" - enlarges the object 100x
• "Mechanical parts" - parts that support, adjust, connect, and move other parts
• "Base" - supports the entire weight of the microscope
• "Arm" - supports the body tube and the part that is hoeld when the microscope is carried from one place to another
• "Body Tube" - connects the lenses of the objective and ocular
• "Stage" - holds the slide, whereas the "stage clips" hold the slide firmly in place
• "Adjustment screws" - move the objectives to bring the specimen into focus
• "Coarse adjustment knob" - large knob that moves the body tub faster to focus the specimen
• "Fine adjustment knob" - smaller knob that is used so as to get a sharp focus of the specimen being viewed
• "Revolving nosepiece" - rotating disc that holds different objectives and allows for the shifting from one objective to the next
• "Aperture" - the maximum diameter of a light beam that can pass through an optical system