LIGHT MICROSCOPY (LM)

A study of the structure of organisms is an essential requirement of biology. However, unaided human eye cannot see objects smaller than 0.1 mrn(100 p) in diameter. Therefore,various devices were discovered to increase his ability to observe minute structures. The knowledge of these devices is responsible for understanding structure and function of cell

The earliest microscopes had only one lens between the object and the eye and were, therefore, called simple microscopes. The modem microscopes, on the other hand have two lenses, the objective and the eye piece, in a series, to view an object. These are known as compound microscopes (Figure shown below).

With the help of a compound microscope one can view the objects at a very high magnification. However, the important property of a light microscope is not its magnifying power but its resolving power. Let us now explain the terms magnifying power and resolving power. The magnifying power of a microscope is its ability to show an enlarged 1 or magnified view of an object to the eye. The resolving power, on the other hand,represents the ability of the microscope to show the fine details in the object to the eye