Compound Light Microscope:

The microscope above is called a compound light microscope. The microscope is called this due to the use of light to transmit the image to your eye through the use of lenses.

It is called a compound microscope because it has more than one lens.

Leeuwenhoek's early microscope was called a simple microscope because it only used one lens. This kind of simple microscope was much like a magnifiying glass that you might use to look at a insect or picture. This way of looking at things is limited and is what enticed people to create the compound microscope.

The word Microscope is the combination of two words; "micro" meaning small and "scope" meaning view.

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