Ch 3: Compound Light Microscope

Compound Light Microscope

used to observe small structures such as cells and tissues

Lights

refers to the necessity of using a light source to view the object

Arm

the straight or curved vertical part that connects the base to the head

Head

the upper part of the microscope that extends from the arm and contains the ocular lens(es) and the rotating nosepiece with the objective lenses

Monocular

microscope with one ocular lens

Binocular

microscope with two ocular lens

Micrometer

used to measure the field of view and object size, may also be present in one ocular lens

Objective Lens

usually has three or four mounted on a revolving nosepiece

Revolving Nose Piece

used to turn the objective lenses

Scanning

4X

Low Power

10X

High Dry

40X

Oil Immersion

100X

Stage

the flat platform located beneath the objective lenses on which the microscope slide is placed

Coarse Focus Knob

on each side of the microscope toward the base is a large knob or dial that may or may not have a smaller knob in the middle. Used for coarse focusing and moves the stage up or down

Fine Focus Knob

the smaller knob on each side of the microscope that is used for precision focusing

Condenser

located just below the stage is a lens that oneness light through the specimen on the slide above

Course focus knob

raises and lowers the condenser, usually needs to be in the highest position to focus the most light on the specimen

Iris Diaphragm

located beneath the condenser, the aperture changes diameter and regulates the amount of light and passes through the condenser

Substage Light

built into the base of the microscope and typically has a dial or sliding bar on one side to control the light intensity

Total Magnification

Ocular Lens x Objective Lens

Base

the wide bottom part that supports the microscope

Ocular Lens

removable eyepieces used to observe the microscope slide

Pointer

used to identify a specific area on the slide

Mechanical Stage

holds the slide securely in place with a spring clamp for viewing and can be moved with precision by the adjuster knobs