Microscopes 🔬

• What are microscopes used for?

  To study cells.
• What do microscopes do?

  They use lenses to magnify an image and they also increase the resolution of the image.
• What is resolution?

  It is the degree to which it is possible to distinguish between two objects that are very close together.
• What is magnification?

  It is the degree to which the size of an image is larger than the image itself.
• What is the correct way to hold a microscope?

  By the arm and base.
• How do light microscopes work?

  They pass light through the speciman.
• How do electron microscopes work?

  They use beams of electrons to view the speciman.
• Pros of light microscopes.

  -cheap

  -easy to use

  -can use live cells
• Cons of light microscopes.

  -low resolution

  -low magnification
• Pros of electron microscopes.

  -higher resolution

  -higher magnification
• Cons of electron microscopes.

  -expensive

  -hard to use

  -can't study live cells
• How do you prepare a microscope slide?

  -take a clean slide

  -Put your sample onto the slide using forceps

  -piece should be thin and look like tissue paper

  -add a drop of stain (e.g iodine) to see it clearly

  -place a cover slip gently at an angle to avoid air bubbles

  -clip the slide on the stage
• How do you use the microscope to view a specimen?

  -use the coarse adjusment knob to move the stage up so it is underneath objective lens

  -adjust the focus using the fine adjusting knob to get a clear image
• What is the equation for total magnification?

  Total magnification = eyepiece lens x objective lens
• What is the equation to work out image size?

  Image size = magnification x real size
• How do you convert from millimetre to micrometre?


  Multiply by 1000.
• How do you convert from micrometre to nanometre?


  Multiply by 1000.
• How do you convert from nanometre to picometre?


  Multiply by 1000.
• How do you convert from picometre to nanometre?


  Divide by 1000.
• How do you convert from nanometre to micrometre?


  Divide by 1000.
• How do you convert from micrometre to millimetre?


  Divide by 1000.
• Diagram of a microscope.

  This is the diagram of a microscope.