Compound Machines

Simple machines can be combined together to form compound machines. Many of our everyday tools
and the objects we use are really compound machine. Scissors are a good example. The edge of the
blades are wedges. But the blades are combined with a lever to make the two blades come together to
cut.

A lawnmower combines wedges (the blades) with a wheel and axle that spins the blades in a circle. But
there is even more. The engine probably works in combination of several simple machines and the
handle that you use to push the lawnmower around the yard is a form of a lever. So even something
complicated can be broken down into the simplest of machines.

Take a look around you — can you figure out what simple machines make up a can opener, the hand
cranked pencil sharpener, the ice dispenser in the refrigerator or the stapler? Just be careful, though. In
our modern times, many things rely on electronics and light waves to function and are not made of
simple machines. But even then, you may be surprised. The turntable in your microwave oven is a wheel
and axle. The lid to the laptop is connected to the pad by a hinge or lever.

Simple machines may be simple — but they are simply everywhere.

Microscope
A microscope is an instrument widely to magnify and resolve the image of an object that is
otherwise invisible to naked eye. For resolving the details of objects, which otherwise cannot be
achieved by naked eye, a microscope is used.

Basic Parts of a Microscope and their Functions

Eyepiece or ocular lens: Eyepiece is the lens, present at the top and is used to see the objects under
study. Eyepiece lens contains a magnification of 10X or 15X.

Tube: Tube or the body tube, connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses.

Resolving nosepiece: It is also known as the Turret. Resolving nosepiece has holders for the different
objective lenses. It allows the rotation of the lenses while viewing.

Objective lenses: Generally, three or four objective lenses are found on a microscope, with ranges of
10X, 40X, 100X powers. Lenses are colour coded, the shortest lens is of the lowest power, and the
longest lens is high power lenses.