Science glossary film: Compound microscope

An optical microscope which uses two sets of lenses, called the objective and the eyepiece, to gather and magnify light. While the first significant microscopic observations were made using only a single lens, the objective and eyepiece together allows higher magnifications, up to a thousand times or so. To see even smaller structures requires an electron microscope.

While the first significant microscopic observations were made using only a single lens, the objective and eyepiece together allows higher magnifications, up to a thousand times or so. To see even smaller structures requires an electron microscope.