Microscopes are not the most intuitive of tools. It’s important that you know how to properly use, care for, and store the microscope. When microscopes are used or cared for incorrectly, damage can result. When microscopes are damaged, the repairs can be both costly and time consuming. Review these points on how to handle your microscope so that we can keep microscopes in the best working order.

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Total magnification is the combined magnifying power of both the ocular and objective lenses. It can be calculated by multiplying the ocular and objective magnifications. The magnifications can be found directly on the eyepieces and objectives. (Hint: Look for a number followed by “x”).

The compound light microscope is the primary microscope we will be using in this course. It has many parts that contribute to its function and being familiar with each part will make using the microscope that much easier. Let’s take a look at each component of the microscope and its function.

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This page titled 3.2: The Compound Light Microscope is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Karen Marks and Valeria Hochman Adler.