| A primitive microscope was invented in 1590 in | | | | lens power. So, if you couple a 10x eyepiece lens |
| Middelburg, Netherlands, by the eyeglass makers | | | | with a 40x objective lens, the total magnification is |
| Hans Lippershey, Zacharias Jansen and his father | | | | of 10 x 40 = 400 times. |
| Hans Jansen. Further, Galileo Galilei improved the | | | | 4. Stage clips: hold the slide in place. |
| instrument by using a set of aligned lenses and called | | | | 5. Stage: it is a flat platform that supports the slide |
| it "occhiolino", what means "little eye". In 1625, | | | | being analyzed. |
| Giovanni Faber named Galileo Galilei's "occhiolino" as a | | | | 6. Diaphragm: it controls the intensity and size of the |
| compound microscope and this name remains until | | | | cone light projected on the specimen. As a rule of |
| today. | | | | thumb, the more transparent the specimen, less light |
| The optical microscope, the most common type of | | | | is required. |
| microscope, contains several parts with specific | | | | 7. Light source: it projects light upwards through the |
| functions. Observe the picture and find their | | | | diaphragm, slide and lenses. |
| functions. | | | | 8. Base: supports the microscope. |
| 1. Eyepiece: contains the ocular lens, which provides a | | | | 9. Condenser lens: it helps to focus the light onto the |
| magnification power of 10x to 15x, usually. This is | | | | sample analyzed. They are particularly helpful when |
| where you look through. | | | | coupled with the highest objective lens. |
| 2. Nosepiece: holds the objective lenses and can be | | | | 10. Arm: supports the microscope when carried. |
| rotated easily to change magnification. | | | | 11. Coarse adjustment knob: when the knob is |
| 3. Objective lenses: usually, there are three or four | | | | turned, the stage moves up or down, in order to |
| objective lenses on a microscope, consisting of 4x, | | | | coarse adjust the focus. |
| 10x, 40x and 100x magnification powers. In order to | | | | 12. Fine adjustment knob: used fine adjust the focus. |
| obtain the total magnification of an image, you need | | | | Visit my blog for the next article: theory and |
| to multiply the eyepiece lens power by the objective | | | | application of light microscopy. |