Compound Light Microscope Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Compound Light Microscope?

A compound light microscope is an optical instrument used to magnify small objects such as cells, bacteria, and other microorganisms. It consists of two separate lenses: an objective lens located beneath the sample and a second lens, the eyepiece located above it. Light from a source such as a lamp illuminates the specimen from below. The objective lens collects this light and focuses it onto the sample to be viewed through the eyepiece. Compound light microscopes are one of the most widely used tools in science for viewing very small objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They allow researchers to observe cells, viruses, bacteria, and other life forms at greater levels of detail than ever before possible. They also provide insight into how various biological processes work on a cellular level. Compound light microscopes have revolutionized research in areas ranging from medicine to molecular biology. The resolution of a compound light microscope depends on several factors including its numerical aperture (NA), which determines its ability to gather light; its wavelength of illumination; and its magnification power or strength (the number of times larger an object appears when viewed through it). Compound light microscopes can have magnifications up to 2000x or more depending on their quality and design. While useful for many applications, there are some limitations associated with compound light microscopes as well such as their inability to view beyond certain depths due to their reliance on visible-light illumination rather than electron beams used in more powerful electron microscopes for imaging larger structures within cells or viruses at finer resolutions. Additionally, since these instruments rely solely on visible-light wavelengths for illumination they can suffer from chromatic aberrationa type of distortion caused by different colors being focused differently by lenseswhich affects clarity when viewing near bright areas where multiple wavelengths are present simultaneously.