MICROSCOPE:

Types of Microscopes:

Compound, Dissection or Stereoscope, Confocal Microscope, Scanning, Electron Microscope (SEM), & Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Creator: Zacharias Janssen

Use/purpose: The main purpose of a microscope is magnifying samples of matter and examining them in detail.

Eyepiece Lens: the lens at the top that you look through. They are usually 10X or 15X power.

Tube: Connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses

Arm: Supports the tube and connects it to the base

Base: The bottom of the microscope, used for support

Illuminator: A steady light source (110 volts) used in place of a mirror. If your microscope has a mirror, it is used to reflect light from an external light source up through the bottom of the stage.

Stage: The flat platform where you place your slides. Stage clips hold the slides in place.

Revolving Nosepiece or Turret: This is the part that holds two or more objective lenses and can be rotated to easily change power.

Objective Lenses: Usually you will find 3 or 4 objective lenses on a microscope. They almost always consist of 4X, 10X, 40X and 100X powers.

Rack Stop: This is an adjustment that determines how close the objective lens can get to the slide.

Condenser Lens: The purpose of the condenser lens is to focus the light onto the specimen. Condenser lenses are most useful at the highest powers (400X and above).

Diaphragm or Iris: Many microscopes have a rotating disk under the stage. This diaphragm has different sized holes and is used to vary the intensity and size of the cone of light that is projected upward into the slide