Light microscopes use visible light, compound microscopes use two sets of lenses, and electron microscopes use beams of electrons for magnification.
Light microscope: The most common type of microscope, light microscopes use visible light to magnify objects. They can magnify objects up to 1,000 times, but they cannot resolve objects that are smaller than about 0.2 micrometers.
Compound microscope: Compound microscopes use two sets of lenses to magnify objects. They can magnify objects up to 2,000 times, and they can resolve objects that are smaller than about 0.1 micrometers.
Scanning electron microscope (SEM): SEMs use a beam of electrons to magnify objects. They can magnify objects up to 1,000,000 times, and they can resolve objects that are smaller than about 0.001 micrometers.
Transmission electron microscope (TEM): TEMs use a beam of electrons to pass through objects. They can magnify objects up to 1,000,000 times, and they can resolve objects that are smaller than about 0.0001 micrometers.