Comparing

Question 1

Function - Light (compound microscope)

Answer 1

Uses visible light to illuminate a thin section of sample.

Question 2

Function - Confocal laser scanning microscope

Answer 2

Let’s you look at thin ‘slices’ in a sample while keeping it intact; let’s you look at specific parts of a cell (such as individual proteins) by labelling them with fluorescence.

Question 3

Function - Scanning Electron Microscope

Answer 3

Lets you look at the surface of objects at high resolution.

Question 4

Function - Transmission Electron Microscope

Answer 4

Lets you look at a very thing cross-section of an object (such as a cell)

Question 5

Disadvantages - Light (compound microscope)

Answer 5

• Low resolution compared to Electron Microscope.

Question 6

Disadvantages - Confocal laser scanning microscope.

Answer 6

• low resolution comp to Electron
• sees only fluorescent objects, nothing else visible.
• fluorescent can cause artefacts

Question 7

Disadvantages - Scanning Electron Microscope

Answer 7

• Resolution often not as high as TEM.
• can’t look at living samples (they much be dried and covered in metal).
• expensive to run.

Question 8

Disadvantages - Transmission Electron Microscope.

Answer 8

• can’t be used on living things (samples much be prepped extensively beforehand).
• costly to run.

Question 9

Useful for looking at - Compund Microscope (light)

Answer 9

• living things (single cell layer).
• cells & tissues (prep is less critical).
• getting an overview.

Question 10

Useful for - Confocal laser scanning microscope.

Answer 10

• looking a living cells.
• understanding cell relationships.
• highlighting individual components.

Question 11

Useful for - SEM

Answer 11

• looking at surfaces of objects.

* looking at objects in 3D.

Question 12

Useful for - TEM

Answer 12

• looking at internal structures of objects.
• looking at objects at very high resolution.
• looking at relationships between structures at high resolution.

Question 13

The compound microscope shines light through what part of a sample?

Answer 13

A slice of a living sample.

Question 14

What example can be used to explain how the Confocal technique works?

Answer 14

If the cell is a pancake stack, each pancake can be viewed to build a 3D model.

Question 15

When using SEM, what gets knocked off by the surface of the sample then picked up by the detector?

Answer 15

Secondary electrons.

Question 16

What’s the TEM’s main advantage?

Answer 16

Very high resolution.