Miscroscopy

Question 1

What is resolution?

Answer 1

• The shortest distance between two points on an object that can still be distinguished as two separate entities.
• The higher the resolution of an image, the more detailed you will be able to see.
• e.g.: if the same sample is used and viewed at the same magnification but one is blurry, that image would have a lower resolution.

Question 2

What is magnification?
(Equation?)

Answer 2

• How many times larger the image is than the object
• Magnification = Image size/actual size.

Question 3

What is the equations linking magnification, image size and actual size?

Answer 3

• Image size = Actual size x Magnification

Question 4

What does ‘image’ mean?

Answer 4

• The image that you see when you look down into the microscope

Question 5

What does ‘object’ mean?

Answer 5

• The real object/sample you’re looking at.

Question 6

What are the different parts which make up a light microscope?

Answer 6

• Base and arm - support the entire microscope
• Light source (lamp/mirror - the mirror will reflect
  light from the room)
• Stage - where the microscope slide is placed
• Microscope slide - where the sample is held
• Objective lenses (3) - have different magnifications e.g.: x4, x10, x40
• Eyepiece lense - have a fixed magnification (x10) at the top of the microscope
• Coarse focusing knob - used to bring the specimen into approximate or near focus.
• Fine focusing knob - used the fine focus knob to sharpen the focus quality of the image after it has been brought into focus with the coarse focus knob.

Question 7

How do light microscopes work?

Answer 7

1. Light from the room will hit the mirror and will be reflected upwards through the object we want to look at (on the stage).
2. Then the light will pass through one of the objective lenses, then through the eyepiece lense and then into our eyes.

• The lense will spread out the light rays so that the image we see is far larger than the object.