While they did not actually develop microscopes as we know them today, they investigated how various types of glass made objects appear bigger as well as the bending of light. For instance, in the second century, Claudius Ptolemy explained that a stick appeared to bend when placed in a pool of water. This investigation allowed him to calculate the angle. Here, it becomes evident that fascination with various properties of glass began very early on.

• History Of Microscope Timeline
• Microscope History Ppt

Here, we shall look at the history or the timeline of microscopes.13th CenturyIn the 13th Century (1284) Salvino D'Armatodegli Armati of Florence (Italy) invented the wearable eye glass that wouldmagnify objects allowing the user to see better. Through some investigation,Salvino discovered that convex pieces of glass, the appearance of objects wasmagnified. This allowed him to develop the eye glasses.16th CenturyThe invention of what is regarded to as thefirst compound microscope is credited to two Dutch spectacle-makers; ZachariasJansen and his father Hans.

History Of Microscope Timeline

Following experiment with lenses, Jensen was ableto develop a microscope that was composed of three draw tubes and lenses(Bi-convex eyepiece and Plano-convex objective lens) inserted in both ends.Byadjusting (through sliding) the draw tube in and out, Jansen was able to focusthe microscope. Although the images were still blurry, the microscope allowedfor magnification of about 9x when extended and 3x when closed.17th CenturyGalileo Galilei (1609)In 1609, while trying to develop his telescope,Galileo Galilei used lenses with a shorter focal length to turn his telescopeinto a microscope that could be used to magnify small objects. This microscopeused two lenses, these being a bi-convex objective as well as a bi-concaveeyepiece.Although Galileo also developed another microscope in 1624 that usedthree bi-convex lenses, it did not provide more magnification that his earlierinvention. Galileo's microscope provided a magnification of about 30x.the name 'microscope' for Galileo'scompound microscope was coined by Giovanni Faber in 1625Robert Hooke (1665)In 1665, Robert Hooke, an English naturalphilosopher and physicist published the 'Micrographia' in which hewrote down accounts of his observations using a microscope. Using a primitivemicroscope, Hooke was able to observe a wide range of objects including fleasand corks.Here, he was able to observe small hairs on the flea as well aspores on the cork (which he referred to as cells).

However, what Hooke did not realizeat the time was that he had just discovered plant cells. Hooke's microscope wasa single lens microscope that was illuminated by a candle. Take a look at his.(1674)In the mid 1670s, Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch scientistand tradesman used his skills as a lens grinder to develop a microscope thatwas capable of higher magnification. His microscope model was very small (abouttwo inches long and one inch across). The microscope was composed of two thinmetal plates riveted together with a small bi-convex lens in between. Thismicroscope was capable of providing magnifications of between 70 and 270x.Leeuwenhoek's lenses were of great quality compared to others during thatperiod with a thickness of one millimeter and curvature radial of about 0.75 millimeter.Using this microscope, it was possible to observe bacteria.

19th CenturyJoseph Jackson Lister (1826)In 1826, Joseph Jackson Lister, an English winemerchant and scientist was able to develop an achromatic lens therebyeradicating the chromatic effect (spherical aberration). Here, Lister used severalweak lenses together at given distances resulting in great magnificationwithout blurring images. This was a great breakthrough in microscopy and helpedmake microscopes important tools in medical research. In 1874, Ernst Abbe came up with thetheoretical resolution of a light microscope. Here, Abbe had developed aformulae correlating resolving power to the wavelength of light making itpossible to calculate the theoretical maximum resolution of a microscope.20th CenturyThe 20th Century saw further developments in thefield of microscopy, producing various microscopy techniques that have becomevery important today.

These include:(1931) - This was designed andbuilt by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll from the ideas of Leo Szilard. Thismicroscope used electrons instead of light.(1932) - The phase contrastmicroscope was developed by Frits Zernike in 1932 for imaging transparentspecimen. Imaging of samples using this microscope without using stains isachieved by using interference instead of absorption of light.(1942) - This was developed byErnst Ruska and worked by transmitting electrons across the surface of thesample.(1957) - This technique wasdeveloped by Marvin Minsky and uses the scanning point of light to provide aslightly better resolution compared to microscopes that use light. /by Hayley Anderson at MicroscopeMaster.comAll rights reserved 2010-2019Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. Or its affiliatesThe material on this page is not medical advice and is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment. Although care has been taken when preparing this page, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Scientific understanding changes over time.

Microscope History Ppt

Be sure to take the utmost precaution and care when performing a microscope experiment. MicroscopeMaster is not liable for your results or any personal issues resulting from performing the experiment. The MicroscopeMaster website is for educational purposes only.Images are used with permission as required.ALL PAGES PROTECTEDDO NOT COPY.