4.3 Microscopy - What it is

Question 1

In microscopy, what does ‘object’ refer to?

Answer 1

The real object or sample that you’re looking at

Question 2

In microscopy, what does the ‘image’ refer to?

Answer 2

The image that we see when we look down the microscope

Question 3

What do the lenses in microscopes so we can view the image larger than the object?

Answer 3

The lenses spread out the light rays.

Question 4

What is magnification?

Answer 4

How many times larger the image is than the object

Question 5

What is resolution?

Answer 5

The shortest distance that two parts of an object can be apart, without appearing blurred. (Measure of how detailed the image is.)

Question 6

What is the pathway of light through a microscope?

Answer 6

Light source —> stage —> microscope slide —> object —> objective lens —> body tube —> eyepiece lens —> eye

Question 7

Explain why a student may use iodine solution when she prepares her onion slide

Answer 7

It binds to starch in plant cells and it is a stain so it makes cellular structures easier to see

Question 8

If a student was inspecting the nucleus of their cheek cells, which stain would they use?

Answer 8

Methylene blue