working of compound microscope

WORKING OF COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

The ray diagram given below gives the principle of a compound microscope. The object is mounted on the stand below the microscope tube. The objective lens forms a real, inverted and magnified image (I₁) of the object. The image I₁ acts as an object for the eye piece. The position of the eyepiece is so adjusted that the image lies within the focus of the eyepiece (F_e). The eyepiece acts like a magnifying glass and forms a virtual erect and magnified image of the object.

Image Formation in a Compound Microscope

• The object (O) is placed just outside F_o, the principal focus of the objective lens.

• F_e is the principal focus of the eye lens.

• A real, inverted magnified image I₁ is formed. The magnified image I₁ acts as an object for the eye lens.

• The final image I₂ is virtual and is magnified still further. It is inverted compared with the object. I₂ may appear 1000 times larger than the object