A microscope is a device which we use view and study objects that are not visible to the us with out a device to enhance our eye sight. The parts of a compound microscope are as followed: the eyepiece, the ocular lens, the objective lens, the stage, a condenser,  the condenser adjustment control, the microscope light source, the light switch control, adjustment knobs and nosepeices

One of the features of a microscope is that it has the  ability to enlarge images on a slide. Magnification is provided by a two-lens optical system consisting of the ocular and objective lenses. The ocular lens is on the eyepiece while the objective lens is attached to a rotating nosepiece. Typically, the nosepiece contains four objective lenses, with each lens corresponding to different levels of magnification. The combined magnification of the ocular and objective lenses is the total linear magnification of a microscope. A compound microscope is capable of enlarging an image from 40 to 20,000 times its original size.

Another basic feature of a microscope is its resolving power, otherwise known as the resolution. The two factors that affect the resolution are the wavelength of the light source and the numerical aperture. Electron microscopes provide better resolution and show more detail compared to light microscopes.