Final answer:
Light microscopes use light to visualize images, while electron microscopes use a beam of electrons. Light microscopes are advantageous for viewing living organisms, while electron microscopes allow for higher magnification and resolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are several different types of microscopes, but the main distinction is between light microscopes and electron microscopes. Light microscopes use light to visualize images and include brightfield, darkfield, phase-contrast, differential interference contrast, fluorescence, confocal, and two-photon microscopes. These microscopes are advantageous for viewing living organisms.
On the other hand, electron microscopes use a beam of electrons to visualize images with much higher magnification and resolution, allowing for the study of smaller structures. There are two main types of electron microscopes: transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM).