medtech

• Base - the part that rests on the table and supports the entire microscope
• Light Source - built into the base and is controlled by an on-and-off switch
• Arm - a vertical support that connects the base of the microscope to the body tube
• Body Tube - connects the oculars with the revolving nosepiece
• Ocular Lenses - lenses that the microscopist looks through
• Revolving Nosepiece - holds the objective lenses
• Objective Lenses - optical elements closest to the specimen
• Stage - the surface on which you place your slide
• Stage Aperture - hole in the center of the stage
• Stage Clips - used to hold the slide in place
• Substage - contains the diaphragm and condenser
• Condenser - contains a series of lenses that focus light onto the specimen
• Diaphragm - adjustable light barrier built into the condenser that regulates the amount of light passing through the specimen
• Coarse Adjustment Knob - a rapid control which allows for quick focusing by moving the objective lens or stage up and down
• Fine Adjustment Knob - a slow but precise control used to fine focus the image when viewing at the higher magnifications
• Brightfield Microscope▪ a microscope that uses visible light and an objective lens to magnify and illuminate a sample, called a “brightfield” microscope because the sample is illuminated from below and appears bright against a dark background
• Microscopy - defined as the use of a microscope to magnify objects too small to be visualized with the naked eye so that their characteristics are readily observable