The Different Parts of a Microscope
The microscope gives students and scientists a close-up view of microscopic structures like cells and bacteria.
Knowing the different parts and their functions is essential to use a microscope. You can use the instrument properly and get the best results by understanding the microscope parts.
Stage
The stage is the flat platform that holds the slides in place and controls the fall’s movement. It has stage clips and knobs that allow you to turn the drop left, right, up, or down instead of moving it with your hands.
Diaphragm and Abbe Condenser
The diaphragm is found under the stage of a microscope, and its primary role is to control the amount of light that reaches the specimen. The diaphragm comes attached to an Abbe condenser, and the two together can adjust and change the intensity and size of the cone of light that reaches the specimen.
A condenser lens is used with higher-power objective lenses to concentrate the light on the sample and increase illumination and resolution. It is not required on lower-power objective lenses.
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Arm
A microscope arm is a part that connects a microscope to a base. It supports the tube and can be moved up and down using adjustment knobs.
There are usually two knobs for controlling the working distance between the stage and the specimen, one moves the step in small increments (fine focus), and another carries it in more significant increments (coarse focus).
The working distance of a microscope is calculated by multiplying the magnification of the eyepiece lens with the elaboration of the objective lenses. For example, a 10x eyepiece and a 40x objective lens magnify 100 times, whereas a 50x eyepiece and a 90x objective lens magnify 400 times.
Nosepiece
The nosepiece is the part of a microscope that holds the objective lenses. The nosepiece also rotates the aim lenses, which can change their magnification power.
This component can be a lever or a screw. Usually, a slot-headed screw is used for rotation.
It can become loose or too tight, so students may need to adjust it. If not, it can cause the focusing system to break.
This is a large part at the top of the nosepiece. It connects to the arm of the microscope.
Eyepiece
The eyepiece, or ocular lens, is the lens the user looks through to view a magnified specimen. It consists of several lens elements in a housing with a “barrel” on one end.
The objective lens gathers the rays of light from the specimen and forms an image in the focal plane of the eyepiece. The eyepiece can have a magnification ranging from 5X to 30X.
Many eyepieces are used with a microscope, but the most common are the Huygenian and Ramsden eyepieces. These designs offer lateral color correction and diminished coma for a flat field.
Body Tube
The body tube of a microscope connects the eyepiece lens to the objective lenses on the nose piece. It also holds the microscope’s light source (microscopic illuminator).
The revolving nosepiece or turret in a compound microscope houses 3 to 4 different objective lenses that vary in magnification power, offering more choices for examining your specimen at the correct level. These lenses include scanning power objectives, low power objectives, high dry objectives, and oil immersion objectives.
Most quality microscopes also feature an Abbe condenser, a moveable lens that can be moved in and out to focus the light on the stage. Some models also feature a condenser focus knob and a rack stop, which adjusts how close the stage can rise without hitting the objective lens.
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in such a way that much of the original wave signal is preserved. This differs from other light-reflecting things that filter out some wavelengths and may diffuse the reflected signal or keep little of it.
The most familiar type of mirror is a plane mirror. Plane mirrors reflect light by reversing its direction, causing an image to appear backward on the mirror surface.
A mirror can also be curved, which can be used to focus light or distort an image. A mirror can be manufactured from a variety of materials, including glass. Some mirrors are made from metal, and others are coated with a metal that has high reflective properties.
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