Pocket Microscope

A pocket microscope is a mechanical appliance that is used to view minute objects, which cannot be viewed using the bare eye. It uses the reflection from light, which is controlled and manipulated by the lenses while studying small objects at a close range. A typical microscope is made up of a number of complex and interrelated parts. There are various types of microscope, which serve different purposes.  

Characteristics of the pocket microscope 

The pocket microscope is a small microscope designed to ease portage. Some of these microscopes can fit in a pocket while others fit better in a field bag and if not, a small carrying case. The microscope can be put to various uses right from inspecting jewelry to carrying out scientific fieldwork.  

You can purchase these microscopes from science stores. They are various qualities from unique ones, which are basically glorified magnifying glasses to somber ones, which can produce accurate clear images at a magnification of 100X or more. Some include incorporated cameras or camera attachments that can be used for photographing specimens viewed through the microscope. The greater the amount of applications provided, the higher the cost of the microscope.   

A normal pocket microscope has a light together with a staging area at one end while the other has the eyepiece. Adjustments are made using the focusing knobs or moving the pocket microscope around until the preferred angle is achieved. Some may have an actual stage for the small items while others will have a clear plastic cone as the stage. The cone is placed over the specimen, which is then magnified by the lenses in the microscope. The image produced by the pocket microscope could be reversed depending on its design. The pocket microscopes depend on the mirrors and lenses to magnify the specimen. The object is reversed due to lack of space to correct the image’s positioning in the microscope. Users should therefore be aware of this.  

A pocket microscope can be quite valuable when used as a learning tool as it maintains the interest and involvement of the children throughout the learning process. Scientists can also use them to examine specimens while in the field instead of going to conduct studies on them in the lab. Industries dealing with microscopic components use the microscopes to carry out quality inspections or preparing specimens to undergo analysis under the full sized microscope.  

Other types of pocket microscopes include the optical microscope, which uses one or two lenses to enlarge images and then there, is the simple optical, which uses a convex lens in magnifying. The compound optical microscope has a lens at the eyepiece, and another at the short focal length. The inverted microscope views objects at an inverted position unlike the normal microscopes. It is designed specifically for studying cell cultures in liquid. The electron microscope uses electron waves, which run parallel to the magnetic field to provide higher resolution. The scanning electron microscope is a type of an electron microscope while The Transmission electron microscope is another. Other pocket microscopes include the scanning probe microscope and the petrography microscope.