Compound Microscope Parts & Functions

• The lesson objectives include identifying the parts of a compound microscope and giving their functions, and learning how to manipulate the compound microscope.

Structural Components

• The three basic structural components of a compound microscope are the head/body, base, and arm.
• The head/body houses the optical parts in the upper portion of the microscope, including eyepieces and objective lenses.
• The head/body is responsible for magnifying and focusing on the specimen.
• The base supports the microscope and houses the illuminator (light source).
• The arm connects to the base, supports the microscope head, and is used to carry the microscope.

Eyepiece Lens

• The eyepiece contains the ocular lens through which the user sees the magnified specimen.
• Ocular lenses typically range from 5x to 30x magnification but 10x or 15x magnification is most common.

Eyepiece Tube

• The eyepiece tube connects the eyepiece and ocular lens to the objective lenses near the microscope stage.

Microscope Arm

• The microscope arm connects the eyepiece tube to the base.
• Should be held when transporting a microscope.

Microscope Base

• The base provides stability and support to keep the microscope upright.
• It typically houses the illuminator, or light source.

Microscope Illuminator

• Microscopes need a light source for viewing samples.
• This can be a built-in, low-voltage illuminator light or a mirror that reflects an external light source like sunlight.

Stage and Stage Clips

• The stage is a platform for slides holding the specimen.
• The stage has clips to hold the slide in place.
• Some microscopes have a mechanical stage, with adjustment knobs for precise positioning.

Microscope Revolving Nosepiece

• The nosepiece contains the objective lenses.
• The nosepiece is rotated to switch between objective lenses and adjust the magnification power.