The article talks about what a microscope is, why it is needed, what types there are and the history of its creation.
Ancient times
In the history of mankind there have always been those who were not comfortable with the biblical description of the structure of the world, who wanted to understand the nature of things and their essence. Or who was not seduced by the fate of an ordinary peasant or fisherman, like the same Lomonosov.
The most widespread various disciplines received in the Renaissance, when people began to realize the importance of the study of the world and other things. Especially in this they were helped by various optical devices - telescopes and microscopes. So what is a microscope? Who created it and where is this device used in our time?
Definition
To begin with, we will analyze the official definition itself. According to him, a microscope is a device for obtaining enlarged images or their structure. It differs from the same telescope in that it is needed for the study of small and near objects, and not space distances. The name of the author of this invention is not known for certain, but in history there are references to several people who were the first to use and construct it. According to them, in 1590, a Dutchman named John Lippersgay presented his invention to the general public. His authorship is also attributed to Zachary Jansen. And in 1624, the well-known Galileo Galilei also designed a similar device.
They understood what a microscope is, but how did it influence science? Almost the same as his "relative" telescope. Although primitive, but this device allowed us to overcome the imperfection of the human eye and look into the microworld. With the help of it later many discoveries were made in the field of biology, entomology, botany and other sciences.
What is a microscope, now it’s clear, but where else are they used?
The science
Biology, physics, chemistry - all these areas of science sometimes require a glimpse into the very essence of things that our eye or simple magnifying glass cannot consider. It is difficult to imagine modern medicine without these devices: with their help, discoveries are made, the types of diseases, infections are determined, and recently even managed to "photograph" a chain of human DNA.
In physics, everything is somewhat different, especially in those areas that work on the study of elementary particles and other small objects. There, the laboratory microscope is somewhat different from the usual ones, and conventional optical instruments help a little, they have been replaced by electronic and latest probes. The latter allow not only to obtain an impressive increase, but even to register individual atoms and molecules.
This also includes the forensics, which these devices are needed to determine evidence, a detailed comparison of fingerprints and other things.
Researchers of the ancient world, such as paleontologists and archaeologists, are not without microscopes. They need them for a detailed study of the remains of plants, animal bones with people and man-made products of past eras. And by the way, a powerful laboratory microscope can be freely purchased for your own use. True, not everyone can afford it. We will analyze the types of these devices in more detail.
Kinds
The first, main and most ancient is optical light. Similar devices are still in any school in the biology class. It is a set of lenses with adjustable distance and a mirror to illuminate the object. Sometimes it is replaced by an independent light source. The essence of this microscope is to change the wavelength of the visible optical spectrum.
The second is electronic. It is arranged much more complicated. In simple terms, the wavelength of visible light is 390 to 750 nm. And if an object, for example, a cell of a virus or other living organism is smaller, then the light will simply envelope it, it will not be able to reflect normally. And such a device bypasses such limitations: it makes the waves of light “thinner” by a magnetic field, because of which you can see the tiniest objects. This is especially true in a science such as biology. A microscope of this kind is far superior to optical light.
And the third is the probing type. In simple terms, this is a device in which the surface of a particular sample is "probed" by the probe and a three-dimensional or raster image is compiled on the basis of its movements and vibrations.