The Microscope

Have you ever been confused about microscope terminology, or about the many different kinds of microscopes? What they can do and how they are used? You've come to the right place. Our goal at Microscope Help is to give a simple and clear overview of this wonderful tool. Here you will learn about the history of the microscope, the component parts of the instrument and also brief descriptions of many different kinds of microscopes.

 

 

We explain Light Microscopes, such as the Compound, Stereo, Ultraviolet, Fluorescence and Confocal; Electron Microscopes such as Transmission (TEM), Scanning (SEM) and the Scanning Transmission (STEM). Electron probe instruments such as EDS and WDS. And finally, there is a fairly new breed of instrument, the Scanning Probe Microscope, of which the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is the most useful for routine work. These microscopes employ a fine pointed probe – the tip of which may in some cases be a single atom -- that is scanned over the specimen very close to the surface. One of these, the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), can make a map of the surface of a specimen that shows detail down to single atoms.

Are you looking to purchase a microscope? If so, we recommend these two excellent online stores to do your shopping:

Binoculars.com and the DiscoveryChannelStore.com.