Whats the difference between a compound microscope and a stereoscope?
A compound microscope is just the standard name for a scope used for viewing slides. It can have one (monocular) or two (binocular) eyepieces; however, it enlarges the image through only one objective at a time. Compounds are perfect for working at high powers of magnification. A stereo microscope or stereoscope is really a pair of microscopes — one for each eye that enables you to see objects in their true three-dimensional form. In other words, it is a high-powered magnifying glass! A true stereoscope will always have two eyepieces (binocular) with matching objectives for each eye. Slides are generally not used with a stereoscope (but can be) because of its lower magnification than a compound. It’s certainly our family’s favorite microscope! How does a microscope make things look bigger? Man naturally discovered that when you observe anything through a drop of water, it appeared larger. A drop of water is dome-shaped or convex — wider in the middle and thinner toward the edges. It
