Question

The first microscope was invented by
                    (A) Leeuwenhoek
                    (B) Hooke
                    (C) F. Janssen and Z. Janssen
                    (D) Schleiden

Answer 1

Hint:-A microscope is an instrument that magnifies minute objects to make them visible to the eye. A reading glass or hand magnifying glass is an example of a simple microscope. A single lens is an example of a simple microscope. A compound microscope, meanwhile, uses two sets of lenses to magnify an object.

Complete step-by-step solution:-Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is considered to be one of the first microbiologists. In fact, he is referred to as the Father of Microbiology. He used to make optical lenses and it is through his own microscope that he was able to see microorganisms. He named them animalcules (English translation of the Dutch word which basically means small animals). He went on to observe various cells (like muscle fibers) under the microscope.
Robert Hooke was another scientist who observed microorganisms under the microscope. He had observed the honeycomb structure of cork and named the compartments he observed as cells. He contributed to the field of physics (Hooke’s law) and astronomy.
Zacharias Janssen is the person who is believed to have invented the first microscope. Z. Janssen was a Dutch spectacle maker. His son claimed that Z. Janssen invented the microscope as well as the telescope.
Matthias Jakob Schleiden gave the cell theory. He along with his colleague Theodore Schwann described the cell to be the basic structural unit of any organism. They proposed that all living organisms are composed of cells and these cells arise from cells that previously existed.
The correct answer is option (C). Z. Janssen is the person who is believed to have invented the first microscope.

Note:-
With the advancement in technology, microscopes have come a long way from being just a simple lens to magnify an object. Different light microscopes, such as phase contrast microscope and dark field microscopes have features that enhance the quality of the image observed.
Digital microscopes make use of computers to observe an image. All the information along with the image produced can be stored in the computer. Electron microscopes such as transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope can magnify objects that measure in nanometers.