What is the difference between transmitted and reflected light in microscopy?
The main difference between transmitted-light and reflected-light microscopes is the illumination system. There is no difference in how reflected and transmitted-light microscopes direct light rays after the rays leave the specimen.
How does the image move when the specimen being viewed under a compound microscope or a dissecting microscope is moved to the right or left up or down?
A specimen that is right-side up and facing right on the microscope slide will appear upside-down and facing left when viewed through a microscope, and vice versa. Similarly, if the slide is moved left while looking through the microscope, it will appear to move right, and if moved down, it will seem to move up.
What kinds of specimens are best viewed with the transmitted light?
Transmitted light (sometimes called transillumination) shines light through the specimen. It’s frequently used for transparent or translucent objects, commonly found in prepared biological specimens (e.g., slides), or with thin sections of otherwise opaque materials such as mineral specimens.
How does the light source illuminate the specimen differently between a compound and a dissecting microscope?
1. The compound microscope uses only transmitted light, whereas the dissecting microscope uses transmitted and reflected light so there won’t be shadows on the 3D subjects.
Why would you examine a specimen with reflective light?
In reflected light microscopy, absorption and diffraction of the incident light rays by the specimen often lead to readily discernible variations in the image, from black through various shades of gray, or color if the specimen is colored.
What are three differences between a dissecting microscope and a compound light microscope?
Dissecting and compound light microscopes are both optical microscopes that use visible light to create an image. Most importantly, dissecting microscopes are for viewing the surface features of a specimen, whereas compound microscopes are designed to look through a specimen.