Light Microscopy

The light microscope is a common and widely used tool that has been used to look at biological samples for many years and is still very much in use today. The microscope creates the image by focusing light before passing it through the specimen and onto an objective lens, which magnifies the sample and can be viewed through an eyepiece or captured by a digital camera mounted on the microscope. Designs have come a long way, from the first simple microscopes of the 17th century, just three to four inches long, to the large-scale machines in use today. The development of sample preparation methods has enhanced the light microscope's importance.

Information Videos for different sorts of microscopy Scroll down on the above webpage and click the arrow next to Imaging techniques. Construct a table to highlight the main differences between, Light, EM, TEM and SEM

Light microscope and cell theory Use the next two slides to inform yourself about the role of microscopes in cell theory. Answer the questions at the end of the second slide.