What is a microscope?
A compound microscope stacks two lens systems. The objective near the slide forms an enlarged image, and the eyepiece enlarges that again, which is why you multiply the two numbers to get total magnification.
A stereo microscope works differently. It uses two separate light paths, one per eye, so you see depth rather than a flat image. That costs magnification, but it makes stereo the right tool for dissection, inspection and anything you need to handle while looking at it.
