The purpose of a compound microscope -- that is, a microscope consisting of two lens systems -- is to view smaller specimens, such as cell structures, which cannot be seen at the lower level of magnification offered by a lower power or stereo microscope.
Uses
A compound microscope, used everywhere from a medical research laboratory to a police crime scene to a home, helps diagnose disease in human cells or tissues, identifies drug samples or simply reveals the structure of flowers or plants collected on a country walk.
Components
A compound microscope consists of structural components, a base, body and arm, which house and support the optical components, and the optical components themselves, an eyepiece lens and an objective lens.
How a Compound Microscope Works
A light source illuminates an object or structure to be viewed by a compound microscope. Light passes through the object lens--the lens nearest the object--where the image is magnified and the eyepiece lens--the lens you look through--acts as a further magnifier to produce the image you see.
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