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microscope
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bean aphid Colour-enhanced scanning electron micrograph (magnified 50×) of a bean aphid on a leaf.

microscope

instrument
Also known as: microscopy
Written by
Robert R. Shannon
Emeritus Professor of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson. Coeditor of Applied Optics and Optical Engineering (vol. 7–11).
Robert R. ShannonAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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microscope, instrument that produces enlarged images of small objects, allowing the observer an exceedingly close view of minute structures at a scale convenient for examination and analysis. Although optical microscopes are the subject of this article, an image may also be enlarged by many other wave forms, including acoustic, X-ray, or electron beam, and be received by direct or digital imaging or by a combination of these methods. The microscope may provide a dynamic image...

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