IN THIS CHAPTER
Terms to know about microscopy
Visualizing structural details
A matter of magnification and resolution
Why contrast is important
Chapter 2
What Microscopes
Do – Physically
You’ve already seen that it’s more or less all about lenses and light, and
that a microscope is a clever combination of these two major functional
components
– objective and eyepiece – to produce an enlarged image of
a minute object. But that’s only part of the job description … The job of a microscope
is to magnify, resolve, and contrast tiny details such as bacteria, cells or
viruses
so that they become recognizable to the human eye.
What is a Microscope?
If you are wondering what exactly a microscope is, the word itself already tells
you the secret. »Scope« comes from the Greek word »skopein« and means
to observe. »Micro« comes from the Greek word »mikros« and means ex-
tremely small. Together, you can see that a microscope is a tool that allows
you to observe small objects.
