The first microscope was created hundreds of years ago. In the
passing centuries, microscopes evolved into powerful, precise
tools that allow scientists to view tiny objects at a level of
detail that seems unreal. There are a wide array of available
microscopes, from the compound microscopes commonly found in
high school science classrooms to powerful scanning tunneling
and electron microscopes used by Nobel Prize winners.
Most historians agree that two Dutchman made the first
microscope in 1590. Zaccharias Janssen and his son Hans were two
eyeglass makers who experimented with putting multiple lenses
together in a tube. They found that objects under the tube were
greatly enlarged. Over the next hundred years, scientists Robert
Hooke, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, and others further refined the
work of the Janssens and used microscopes to examine insects,
blood, and other items. Scientists have continued microscopes
into the present day. Now, microscopes can show tiny particles
that are unseen by the naked eye in extremely exact detail.
Microscopes operate on several principles. Most common
microscopes have two different lenses. Viewers look through the
ocular lens, also known as the eyepiece. There is another lens,
called the objective lens at the end of the ocular lens. The
objective lens is a sphere shaped lens located above the stage
of the microscope. People place the object they want to examine
on the stage and can adjust the lenses to bring the object into
focus. Most microscopes have an adjustment knob for coarse focus
and one for fine focus. Many microscopes have several objective
lenses with different strengths for users to choose from. The
lenses are arranged on a circular platform that can be rotated
to have the different lenses put into place under the ocular
lens. Microscopes also need a light source of some kind
underneath the stage. Most commercial microscopes have a light
bulb, but many high-end microscopes use lasers or electrons for
illumination.
Microscopes have been used to make countless vital scientific
discoveries. They are invaluable tools used in a variety of
scientific fields that enable researchers to make discoveries
that would be impossible with the naked eye.
About the author:
Microscopes Info
provides detailed information about electron, compound, stereo,
digital, video, and scanning tunneling microscopes, as well as
an explanation of the different parts of a microscope, and more.
Microscopes Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.
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