Binocular dissecting microscopes have two ocular lenses to provide three-dimensional viewing of a specimen.
Binocular dissecting microscopes (also known as stereo microscopes) view objects at magnifications between 8x and 40x. The microscope, which is commonly used in dissections, has two optical lenses that work together to view objects in 3D. It is able to view objects much larger than the more common compound light microscope.
Instructions
Lower Portion
1. The lowest piece of a binocular dissecting microscope is the base plate. It provides support for the microscope.
2. The first light source can be either a mirror and adjacent lamp or a directly connected lamp. Either will rest on top of the base plate and provide illumination upwards.
3. The stage provides support for the specimen, which rests on a flat, rectangular piece of glass held above the lower light source.
4. The arm connects the base plate to the upper portion of the microscope.
Upper Portion
5. The body tube connects to the arm and provides support for the eyepieces and lens. It also contains several internal lenses, which transfer the image of the specimen from the objective lens to the ocular eyepiece.
6. The nosepiece is attached to the bottom of the body tube. It holds the objective lens above the specimen. It can also hold an optional lamp for illuminating the specimen from above.
7. The focus and magnification control knobs are located on either the arm or the body tube. The focus knob controls the focus of the lenses by slightly moving the lens. The magnification control knob switches lenses for different magnifications and is generally found on higher-priced models.
8. The objective lenses are connected beneath the nosepiece. These lenses magnify the image of the specimen. Some lower-quality models may contain only one objective lens for a single magnification; higher-quality models usually have several lenses.
9. The head connects the ocular eyepieces to the body tube. In binocular dissecting microscopes, the head contains mirrors, which split the image and create a three-dimensional image at the eyepieces.
10. The ocular eyepieces provide the visual image to the user. They are located at the top of the microscope. Binocular dissecting microscopes have two ocular eyepieces, which adjust to match a user's eye type and focus.
Tags: body tube, dissecting microscopes, base plate, objective lens, ocular eyepieces, provides support, view objects