Compound Microscope

• • Base: part where the microscope is firmly anchored, supporting the whole microscope and where illuminators are attached
  • Inclination joint: joint for tilting the microscope
• Mechanical parts of a compound microscope:

  • Body tube: hollow tube through which light passes from the objective to the eyepiece
  • Revolving nosepiece: holds the objectives and can be rotated to select the appropriate objective
  • Arm: connects the base and the body tube, serving as a handle for carrying the microscope
  • Stage: platform where the slide or specimen to be examined is placed, with an opening at the center for light to pass through
  • Stage clips: holds the slide in place
• Illuminating parts of a compound microscope:

  • Mirror: reflects light from the surroundings to the specimen on the stage, with a planar and concave side for different light sources
  • Condenser: concentrates light onto the specimen being studied, located below the stage and held in place by a rack
  • Iris diaphragm: regulates the amount of light reaching the specimen, attached beneath the condenser
• Magnifying parts of a compound microscope:

  • Eyepiece or ocular: part through which an observer looks to view a specimen, usually with a magnification of 10x
  • Objectives: main lenses that magnify the specimen being observed, with typical magnifying powers of 4x, 10x, 40x, and 100x
• A microscope is an instrument that magnifies an object so that it may be seen by the observer.
• In addition to the objective lenses, the ocular lens (eyepiece) has a magnification. The total magnification is determined by multiplying the magnification of the ocular and objective lenses.
• The microscope has 3 objective lenses: Scanning (4x), Low (10x), High (40x)

  
• How to use a compound microscope

  1. Adjust the mirror so that the light shines through the stage.
  2. Place the slide on the stage.
  3. Start with the stage low, focus away from the slide, and use the scanner (4x).
  4. Use the fine adjustment knob to focus. Move the stage using the course adjustment knob until your focused image is also centered.
  5. After using the scanner, switch to the LPO (10x). Use the coarse adjustment knob to move the stage to re-center your image.
  6. Switch to the HPO (40x). Only use the fine adjustment knob to focus specimens.