Microscopy

Overview

• Microscopy refers to using microscopes.
• Focuses on how light microscopes work.
• Key terms: object, image, magnification, resolution.

Light Microscope Components

• Base: Supports the whole microscope.
• Arm: Connects the base to the top.
• Light Source: Can be a lamp or a mirror reflecting ambient light.
• Stage: Where the microscope slide is placed.
• Lenses:
  • Objective Lenses: Usually three, with different magnifications (e.g., 10x, 20x, 50x).
  • Eyepiece Lens: Fixed magnification, where the user looks into the microscope.
• Body Tube: Connects lenses.
• Focusing Knobs: Coarse and fine knobs to adjust focus.

Key Terms

• Object:
  • The real object or sample on the microscope slide (e.g., onion cells).
• Image:
  • The visual representation observed through the microscope.
  • Not to be confused with the object.

How Light Microscopes Work

• Light reflects off a mirror through the object (sample).
• Passes through objective and eyepiece lenses.
• Lenses spread light rays making the image larger.

Magnification

• Definition: How many times larger the image is compared to the object.
  • E.g., If an image is 1000 times larger than the object, magnification = 1000x.
• Equation: Magnification = Image Size / Object Size.

Resolution

• Definition: Shortest distance between two points that can still be distinguished separately.
• Description:
  • Indicates how detailed an image is.
  • High resolution = more details, less blur.
  • Example: Two images with the same magnification but different resolutions will differ in clarity.

Conclusion

• Higher resolution provides more details in the image.
• Practice questions available via provided links.