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Posted by on Mar 11, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

How Does a Microscope Work?

How Does a Microscope Work?

How does a microscope work? The simplest kind of microscope is a hand-held magnifying glass. The glass, which is ground into a curved shape, bends rays of light passing through it, producing a larger image than the original.

A compound microscope has two or more curved lenses in a tube. The object to be studied is placed on glass so that light from underneath passes through it. The first lens enlarges the image, which is then magnified by the other lenses.

When looking through a microscope, objects may appear 10 to 2,000 times their size. The invention of the optical microscope transformed the field of science because it allowed people to examine the world in microscopic detail.

All microscopes are basically carrying out three functions:

*Magnify an object with the help of lenses.

*Light up the specimen (object) being examined.

*Allow you to focus and make the details of this object visible.

So now you know how does a microscope work.

What are the main types of microscopes? There are two main types of microscope:

Light microscopes are used to study living cells and for regular use when relatively low magnification and resolution is enough.

Electron microscopes provide higher magnifications and higher resolution images but cannot be used to view living cells.

Which type of microscope is more powerful? Electron Microscope. World’s Most Powerful Microscope. Lawrence Berkeley National Labs just turned on a $27 million electron microscope. Its ability to make images to a resolution of half the width of a hydrogen atom makes it the most powerful microscope in the world.

Content for this question contributed by Michael Lennon, resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA