Single Lens: The Story of the Simple Microscope ebook

by Brian J. Ford

Brian J. Ford Experiments Instruments and Measurement English

Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The capabilities of Leeuwenhoek's lenses was greatly under-appreciated - even disparaged - in the history of science up to the time of Brian Ford's work. Added Jan. 2010: perhaps not so under-appreciated as I thought!

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A fascinating look at the early days of microscopy, showing that those early simple microscopes, using just one tiny lens, compare well with todays high tech scopes! Long live the simple microscope!

Single lens, the story of the simple microscope . Brian J Ford explains why he considers Cardiff the most unappreciated city in the world, chapter in The Cardiff book

Single lens, the story of the simple microscope, ISBN 0-434-26844-5. UK, William Heinemann, 1985. Brian J Ford explains why he considers Cardiff the most unappreciated city in the world, chapter in The Cardiff book, ISBN 00807-05-9. Barry: Stewart Williams Publishers, 1973.

The book describes Ford's extraordinary disclosures. 181 pages including Selected References, Name Index, and Subject Index

The book describes Ford's extraordinary disclosures. 181 pages including Selected References, Name Index, and Subject Index. Traces the history of the microscope, looks at how the first specimens were prepared by Antony van Leeuwenhoek in the seventeenth century, and describes how the microscope has shaped the development of science.

Single lens: the story of the simple microscope. The Leeuwenhoek Legacy. Brownian movement in clarkia pollen: a reprise of the first observations. Microscope-london then chicago- 40, 235-235, 1992.

Single lens, the story of the simple microscope", ISBN 0-434-26844-5

Single lens, the story of the simple microscope", ISBN 0-434-26844-5. Ford (surname) - Ford is a common surname. A Aiden Ford, a fictional character from the television show Stargate Atlantis Alan Ford (actor) (born 1937), English actor Alan Ford (swimmer), 1940s American swimmer Alan Ford (comics), an Italian comic. The book describes Ford's extraordinary disclosures.

Professor Brian J Ford's discoveries have shaken up the world of microscopy over and over again. Rebecca Pool talks to the renowned microscopist about his breakthroughs. When Professor Brian J Ford was a very young child, he was fascinated by the form and function of living organisms. Many other books have followed, including Microbe Power, Tomorrow's Revolution and Single lens, Story of the Simple Microscope, each again hitting the headlines and gaining mass media appeal. Lecture tours, worldwide, had also commenced, but come 1981, Ford was to make what could be considered his biggest discovery.

Microscope, instrument that produces enlarged images of small objects, allowing .

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. It may provide a dynamic image (as with optical instruments) or one that is static (as with scanning electron microscopes). The resolution of a microscope is a measure of the smallest detail of the object that can be observed. Resolution is expressed in linear units, usually micrometres (μm). Optical microscopes can be simple, consisting of a single lens, or compound, consisting of several optical components in line.

Traces the history of the microscope, looks at how the first specimens were prepared by Antony van Leeuwenhoek in the seventeenth century, and describes how the microscope has shaped the development of science

Tiv

Hold some science history in your two hands!

Ohatollia

This is a fascinating first-hand account of how the "father of microbiology", Antony van Leeuwenhoek, was rediscovered (in 1981) after 300 years. It describes the author's own search of the archives of the British Royal Society, and his rediscovery of the resolving power of the single lens microscopes designed and used by Antony van Leeuwenhoek in the 1670s -- much higher resolving power than could be achieved by any compound microscope prior to the mid-1800s. The capabilities of Leeuwenhoek's lenses was greatly under-appreciated - even disparaged - in the history of science up to the time of Brian Ford's work. [Added Jan. 2010: perhaps not so under-appreciated as I thought! I notice that van Leuwenhoek is extensively referenced in Buffon's Natural History - see it online at [...]].

As a scientist, I find this book a fascinating tale of discovery, told in a captivating way. The book deserves a broader audience than it has apparently received -- since it has not been republished since the original publication in 1985.

Beazezius

While I agree with everything the other reviewer wrote, Ford covers other simple microscopes as well. In particular, he discusses the later single-lens instruments used by scientists like Robert Brown (of "Brownian motion" fame) and Charles Darwin. The theme throughout the book, which incidentally carries into Ford's other writing, is that the bias against single-lens microscopes is unjustified, and the idea that they were inferior to compound microscopes of the day is simply not correct. These instruments actually compare favorably to modern microscopes for many tasks, and Ford nicely documents the fact that they were a mainstay of microscopy into the middle 19th century.

Anyone who has an interest in microscopy or in the history of scientific instruments is very likely to enjoy this book. It will give you a new appreciation for what can be done with what is essentially a high-power magnifying glass.