What Are the Parts and Functions of a Binocular Microscope?
The parts of a binocular microscope are the eye piece (ocular), mechanical stage, nose piece, objective lenses, condenser, lamp, microscope tube and prisms. Each part plays an important role in the microscope’s function.
Eye piece (ocular): The dual binocular eye piece contains the microscope’s lenses and gives the user secondary magnification of the objective, or the object being viewed. The objective is generally a specimen contained on a slide.
Mechanical stage: The mechanical stage holds the object or specimen slide samples below the objective for viewing, and allows the specimen to move left, right, forward and backward for examination.
Nose piece and objective lenses: The nose piece contains several rotating objective lenses, usually three, which magnify the image of the object on the stage below.
Condenser and lamp: The base’s built-in lamp provides light for the viewing area. Light from the lamp passes through the lenses of the condenser, which focuses the light on the microscope’s viewing area.
Microscope tube and prisms: The microscope tube supports the dual eyepieces, and the prisms refract light – they split the light and direct it to the binocular eyepieces. The binocular microscope works by refraction, which is the change in direction of a propagating wave (light or sound) as it passes from one medium to another.
