AS Biology AQA: Microscopes

Microscopes

Measurements

metre

m

= 1 m

millimetre

mm

= 10-3 m

micrometre

mm

= 10-6 m

nanometre

nm

= 10-9 m

Magnification and Resolution

If a microscope uses more lenses, it can magnify by a higher amount, but this doesn't necessarily mean more detail is observed. This instead depends upon the resolving power of the microscope; the smallest distance two separate objects can be distinguished.

The resolving power is limited by the wavelength of light, to improve resolving power, a shorter light wavelength is needed, this can be solved with a blue filter, as blue has the shortest light wavelength.

Magnification = how much bigger a sample is observed under the microscope then its actual size.

Resolution= Shortest distance two separate objects can be distinguished.

The resolution of an image is limited by the wavelength of radiation used to view the sample. This is because when objects in the specimen are much…