February 19, 2008
How Do Microscopes Improve Our Life Today?
Microscopes play a very important role in the field of science and technology. Scientists for research used earlier microscopes more significantly. Nowadays, you can see that it is not only used in laboratories for research purposes, but also found in schools and colleges. It is used to understand the operations and view nature’s smallest creation, which cannot be viewed by the naked eye.
What is a Microscope?
The word “microscope” can be divided into “micro” meaning small and “scope” meaning view. It is a device, which is used to view anything small. There are two types of microscope- simple and compound microscope. Simple microscope facilitates viewing through a single lens, while compound microscope uses multiple lenses. You can use microscope for several purposes, ranging from research to even viewing and enjoying the beauty of sea life organisms at a beach. Whatever be the purpose, it is important to understand the basics of a microscope and its working.
Basics of a Microscope
- For basic functioning, it requires a source of light, which illuminates the object to be viewed
- The light source can either be a mirror, which reflects light from the outside or the device has to have its own light
- As light passes through the object under viewing, the image is magnified. This lens near the object is called the Objective Lens
- The lens through which you look into is a sort of magnifying glass, which produces an enlarged image of the specimen that is already magnified by the objective lens near the specimen.
- So the magnification takes place both by the power of the magnifier and the Objective Lens
- A microscope can magnify image up to 2000x
Uses of a Microscope
Microscopes are used largely in the field of Biology, Geology, Genetics, Microbiology, and Biotechnology. Forensic sciences also make a good use of this device. By viewing the drug under a microscope, the scientists will be able to give the origin of the drug, as the shape of the crystals viewed indicates the country where the drug is grown. There is so much of technological advancement where this device helps to view the minute details of a human cell, study its behavior, and find its use in the field of medicine. You can also view the presence or absence of minerals, presence of metals in the field of Geology, and help solve crimes in criminology.
Students in schools and colleges use microscopes for their study. Students study the structure of virus and bacteria, and this lays the foundation in developing their interest in the field of science and technology.
Use of Optical Microscopes
It is the most common type of microscope and was the first to be invented. The optical instrument contains more than one lens, which produces an enlarged image of the object when placed in the focal plane of the lens. Optical microscopes can be used to view small pieces of material, by using light to pass underneath the object and enter the lens. Optical microscopes can also be used to view metal samples, in order to study the metal structures.
At low power, they can be used to view small living plants and animals and at high power, bacteria can be examined. Invention of optical microscopes has given a lot of scope in the field of medicine. For example, small blood vessels were studied in our body to understand the mechanism of blood flow in our body systems.
