light (basic)

The most common microscopes are Light Microscopes, at least for students. Light is bent through the lens system to magnify a specimen about 400 times, and if oil immersion lens are used, about 1000 times.

How to use:

First, prepare the specimen in a slice and put it on the stage. Make sure to place the specimen right above the little hole for the light to pass through. Then, turn on the light source, the switch normally being on the base. Pick the lens you want to use, normally they have 400-1200x. Make sure the lens is not touching the stage or slice. Next, look into the eyepiece, and don't worry if its blurry. turn the coarse knob (the bigger knob on the side) and try different directions until you get a focused view or until the stage gets too close to the lens. If it keeps passing the perfect focus, stop and use the fine adjustment knob (the smaller one). Turn it in until you get a satisfactory view.

Light Microscopes are mostly used in schools and at casuals' homes since they are easy to figure out, but more complex microscopes are used in other places.

Here is a problem from Science Olympiad, and below are the answers for the labels.

a. Ocular lens (Eye piece)

b. Nose piece

c. Objective lens

d. Stage

e. Diaphragm (or condenser, can't figure out which its pointing at)

f. Light source

g. Diopter adjustment

h. stage clip/aperture

i. microscope body

j. fine(er) adjustment (this microscope doesn't have the separate knob)

k. Coarse adjustment

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