1b - Microscopy

Question 1

What do microscopes do?

Answer 1

let people see things we can’t see with the naked eye

Question 2

What is a light microscope?

Answer 2

a microscope that uses light and lenses to magnify an image of a specimen. they have a low resolution, but still allow us to see cells and some subcellular structures.

Question 3

What are electron microscopes?

Answer 3

electron microscopes use electrons to form an image. they have a high magnification and resolution. they allow you to see smaller things in detail, such as the internal structures of mitochondria, or tiny things like plasmids.

Question 4

How do you prepare a slide?

Answer 4

• add a drop of water to the middle of a clean slide
• separate one layer of specimen and place the tissue onto the water
• add a drop of iodine solution to stain the cells
• place a cover slip on top of the slide

Question 5

how do you set up a light microscope?

Answer 5

• put the slide you’ve prepared onto the stage
• select the lowest powered lens
• use the knob to adjust the stage to be just below the lens
• look into the eye piece. adjust the stage until the image is roughly in focus
• adjust the focus on the second knob to get a clear image

Question 6

what is the formula for magnification?

Answer 6

magnification = image size / real size

Question 7

put millimetres, nanometers and micrometers in order from largest to smallest

Answer 7

millimetres, micrometers, nanometers

Question 8

how do you convert millimetres to micrometers?

Answer 8

x1000

Question 9

how do you convert nanometers to micrometers?

Answer 9

divide by 1000