Biology

The Microscope
Microscope - it is a tool that is used to see organisms or
objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
The microscope makes these small objects look bigger.
Magnification- it describes how much larger an object
appears when viewed.
Resolution – it is the capacity of a microscope to
distinguish small gaps between two separate points which
human cannot distinguish.
Compound microscope – is an optical microscope that
uses visible light to form an image. it uses glass lenses to
magnify and resolve images.

THREE MAJOR PARTS

1. Magnifying
2. Illuminating
3. Mechanical parts

Magnifying Parts
The parts that make the specimen looks bigger
1. Eyepiece/Ocular Lens
Where the viewers looks and see the magnified
image of the specimen
2. Objective lenses
The major lenses used for specimen
visualization/magnification.
A. Low Power Objective
It has a magnification power of 10x. It is used to
see the general outline of the specimen.
B. High Power Objective
It has a magnification power of 40x, it is used
to view structures from a larger perspective.
C. Oil Immersion Objective
It has a magnification power of 100x. It requires
the use of special oil.
Illuminating Parts
1)Mirror
It reflects
2)Iris Diaphragm
It controls the amount of light that reaches the
specimen.
Mechanical Parts
 These parts are used for support and in adjusting
the different parts of the microscope.
1. Body Tube
It holds the eyepiece lens and connects them
to the objective lenses.
2. Revolving Nosepiece
It holds the different objective lenses and
facilitates the changing of objectives.
3. adjusting knobs
A. Coarse Adjustment Knob
It moves the body tube and low power
lenses closer of farther away from the stage
to view the image of the specimen.
B. Fine Adjustment Knob
It is used to bring the specimen into sharp
focus to show clearly the detailed parts of
the specimen.
It moves slower or shorter in terms of
distance than the coarse adjustment knob.
4. Stage
A flat surface where the mounted slide is
placed
A slide is where the specimen is placed for observation
5. Stage Clips
It holds the specimen slide in place.
6. Arm And Base
They are used for support and in carrying
the microscope
7. Inclination Joint
It allows the user to tilt the microscope for
more comfortable viewing.
8. Draw Tube
The draw tube carries the ocular, it can be
adjusted to control tube length and so effect
corrections for the objective lens.