Microscopy

• Light microscope

  Light from a mirror passes through the specimen, objective lens, the eyepiece lens and into your eye

  The two lenses magnify the image
• Two type of microscope

  Light microscopes

  Electron microscopes
• 5 advantages of light microscopes

  Cheap

  Easy to use

  Small

  Produce colour images

  Can see living specimens
• Main disadvantage of light microscopes

  Light microscopes rely on light which has a longer wavelength than electrons meaning they have a lower resolution
• 5 disadvantages of an electron microscope

  Expensive

  Difficult to use, need specialist training

  Large

  Images are in black and white

  Can only view dead specimens
• Smallest to largest

  nm

  ųm

  mm

  cm

  m

  km