Microscopes
Microscopes
There are two types of microscopes: 1) Light compound
microscope – uses light to view specimens
2) Electron microscope – uses electrons to view specimens
Light compound microscope
The light compound microscope has two lenses:
- Objective lens: collects light passing through the specimen and forms a magnified image
- Ocular lens: collects the magnified image from the objective lens and
further magnifies this image
Electron microscope
There are two types of electron microscopes:
- Transmission microscope: electrons pass through the specimen
- Scanning microscope: electrons rebound off the specimen
Used to view smaller structures in cells that cannot be seen with a light microscope
The impact of technology
Ongoing improvement of the light compound microscope meant higher quality images of cells
The invention of electron microscopes (1933) led to the discovery of smaller structures within cells which provided greater knowledge and understanding
Improvement in the preparation technique of specimens for viewing eg the use of dyes
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