Parts of a Monocular Compound Microscope

A monocular compound microscope is a microscope that uses a single eyed tube for viewing objects unlike binocular or trinocular microscopes that use two or three tubes. To be clearer, a monocular compound microscope stands for a singled eyed microscope using multiple selectable objective lenses with varying magnification features for viewing the objects.

A monocular compound microscope has two sets of lenses. The first set of lenses is called eye piece or ocular through which the viewer looks at the object. These lenses are placed at the top of the tube connecting the eye piece with the objective lens piece. These oculars or eye piece lenses are normally of 10 to 15 times magnifying power. The second set of lenses known as objective lenses are those nearer to the object. In compound microscopes, the eye piece tube is connected to the objective lenses through a circular structure known as nose piece. The objective lenses of different magnitudes are fit in this nose piece. It is connected with a turret for enabling the position of required magnitude lens on the object. With this turret facility, one can view the same object with different objective lenses and get the result desired by you.

A standard compound microscope is provided with 3 or 4 sets of objective lenses of different magnitudes. Some of these lenses may have the capacity of magnifying the viewed objects into various sizes of up to hundreds and thousands of times of original size. Such high powered magnifying objective lenses are sometimes equipped with a spring facility to prevent collision of the lens and the object being viewed.

The objects to be viewed are placed on a platform known as stage. The stage is facilitated with clips to hold the object tightly in position so that it does not slip out of the viewer’s angle. The stage and the nose piece or head of the microscope are connected to the base of the microscope through a structure known as arm of the compound microscope.

An illuminator with condenser lenses is fixed to the base below the stage or platform for focusing light on the object to be viewed. This enables a clear and perfect view of the object with a steady light flow projected on it from the bottom. Other facilities include the coarse focus and fine focus knobs attached to the side of the compound microscope stand which are used for adjusting the focus of light on the objects. A fine focus enables more perfect view of the magnified objects.

The monocular compound microscopes are also equipped with a stopper known as rack stop for the movable stage or platform which stops the stage when moved up and down and thereby protects the objective lenses from coming in contact with the object being viewed.

A standard monocular compound microscope enables viewing and researching various types of objects by magnifying the size of the objects into innumerable denominations thereby making the study more clear and perfect.