An Introduction To Light Microscopy For Younger People and Beginners
by Mol Smith

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  The Microscope
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Light Microscopy means using a special instrument called a microscope to magnify very tiny objects so we can see them more easily. Our eyes are good, but when things are very small, we  need a magnifying glass to make things look bigger. A magnifying glass bends light, causing light rays reflected from an object to spread out over a wider area of our eye. A microscope is like a magnifying glass but has two lenses and magnifies objects much larger than any ordinary magnifying glass.

A microscope is often called a compound microscope. Compound means 'in addition to'. So, in a microscope, as one lens is used in addition to another second lens it is known as a compound microscope.

There are also different types of compound light microscopes. Most people are familiar with a microscope which has a long tube with a single lens at the top and a selection of lenses at the bottom.  A microscope with just a single lens at the top is called a monocular  microscope 'one-eyed'. A microscope may also have two lenses at the top but still with a single lens at the bottom. This is a binocular microscope and simply allows both eyes to be used instead of just one.

More interesting though, is a microscope with two lenses at the top and two at the bottom: a stereo microscope. The beauty of this type of microscope is that anything viewed with it appears in 3D, and it is an excellent tool for very young people to use.