Advantage of Using a Compound Microscope

Compound microscopes are used in classrooms around the world.

If you've ever used a microscope in a classroom, it was likely a compound microscope. Compound microscopes have several distinct advantages that their more advanced counterparts do not offer.

Magnification

A microscope is designed to give its user a close-up view of a specimen, and the compound microscope does it best. A typical compound microscope provides a view magnified by 400.

Easy Adjustment

A compound microscope has both a coarse focus and fine focus knob. These two knobs allow the user to easily bring the specimen into focus, allowing for optimal examination.

Lighting

The design of a compound microscope provides clarity for its user. Because a compound microscope illuminates the slide, the user gets a brilliant glimpse of the object in view. The compound microscope only works for ultra-thin slices of specimens, however.

References

• University of Colorado: Topic 39. The Compound Microscope
• Meiji Techno: Choosing a Microscope