cell measurement

• Ribosomes are small, non-membrane bound organelles responsible for protein synthesis in the cell.
• Cells range in size:

  • animal cells are between 0.01 mm – 0.05 mm
  • plant cells are between 0.01 mm – 0.10 mm
• The human eye can see objects as small as around 0.05 mm. A microscope is required to see cells in any detail.
• Microscopes magnify the image of a biological specimen so that it appears larger. The type of microscope used in a school laboratory is a compound microscope.
• The compound microscope uses two lenses to magnify the specimen – the eyepiece and an objective lens.
• In most microscopes, there is a choice of objective lenses to use. Magnification can be varied according to the size of the specimen and the level of detail required.
• The magnification of a lens is shown by a multiplication sign followed by the amount the lens magnifies, eg ×10.