What are the importance and uses of a compound microscope?

Without Compound microscopes, we would not know about the existence of cells and therefore would not be able to study DNA or make medical advances based on our knowledge of how different diseases or conditions attack cells.

Compound microscopes allow scientists to see microorganisms and cells. These microscopes are common today in science classrooms as well as laboratories.

Students frustrated by their attempts to learn how to use these microscopes might wonder what their importance is.

What You Can See under a compound microscope

Compound microscopes can magnify specimens enough so that the user can see cells, bacteria, algae, and protozoa. You cannot see viruses, molecules, or atoms using a compound microscope because they are too small; an electron microscope is necessary to image such things.

What Is a Compound Microscope?

Compound microscopes provide several objective lenses with different levels of magnification and a light source for illuminating specimens.

Compound microscopes are limited to a maximum magnification of about 2,000x the specimen's size; theoretically, they can go higher, but the human eye and brain cannot process the information.

Learn more about microscope here.