The American Educational 7-1358 Basic Monocular Compound Microscope has a locked-in 10x widefield eyepiece, a forward-facing nosepiece with three objectives, tungsten illumination, nested coarse and fine focus, and a plain stage with stage clips. The monocular viewing head has a fixed inclination to reduce eye and neck strain, and rotation capability to enable sharing. A forward-facing nosepiece eases changing objectives. A basic compound microscope is used in classroom, home school, and hobbyist settings for inspection and dissection of specimens when two-dimensional images are desired.
The microscope has lower (diascopic) brightfield illumination that transmits light up through the specimen for enhanced visibility of translucent and transparent objects. Brightfield (BF) illumination allows the specimen to absorb light, resulting in a dark image on a light background. The tungsten light source provides bright light, and operates on AC power, or on a rechargeable battery for cordless operation. A rheostat controls the amount of light emanating from the lamp. The plain stage has an opening for light transmission, and stage clips to secure the slide or specimen in place while viewing. Coaxial coarse and fine focus knobs are nested to speed focusing for left-and right-handed viewers, and a slip clutch prevents excess pressure from damaging the slides or objectives. The frame is made of cast aluminum. The built-in handle allows the microscope to be safely transported.
| Microscope Head and Optics Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Head | Monocular |
| Magnification range | 40x-400x |
| Head inclination | 45 degrees |
| Eyepiece (18mm) | WF10x |
| Nosepiece | Forward-facing |
| Objectives | 4x, 10x, 40x |
| Microscope Illumination and Stage Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Focus type | Coaxial nested coarse and fine |
| Light source | Tungsten |
| Illumination type | Brightfield |
| Stage type | Plain |
| Stage dimensions | 94 x 94mm (W x D) |
| Power | 110V or battery |
W is width, the horizontal distance from left to right; D is depth, the horizontal distance from front to back.
Microscopes are instruments used to enhance the resolution of an object or image. Types include compound, stereo, or digital. Compound microscopes use a compound optical system with an objective lens and an eyepiece. Stereo microscopes show object depth in a three-dimensional image. Digital microscopes are used to display an image on a monitor, rather than looking through a lens. Microscopes can have monocular (one), binocular (two), or trinocular (three) eyepieces, with varying magnification abilities. Magnification ability refers to the size of an image. Resolution, also known as resolvant power, refers to the clarity of the image. The interaction between field of view (FOV), numerical aperture (NA), and working distance (WD) determines resolution. Microscopes can control magnification through a fixed focus, or through a range of adjustments. They can also utilize LED, fluorescent, and mirror light sources to help control viewing capabilities. Microscopes are widely used in education, lab research, biology, metallurgy, engineering, chemistry, manufacturing, and in the medical, forensic science, and veterinary industries.
American Educational Products manufactures learning materials in math, science, and reading/language arts for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The company, founded in 1986, is headquartered in Fort Collins, CO.
What’s in the Box?
- American Educational 7-1358 Basic Monocular Compound Microscope
- WF10x eyepiece, 18mm
- 4x DIN achromatic objective
- 10x DIN achromatic objective
- 40xR (retractable) DIN achromatic objective
- (3) AA batteries
- Power adapter
- Dust cover