Principles of Microscopy and Culture Media

Front

What is microscopy?

Back

Tools developed to observe small objects that cannot be visualized by the naked eye.

Front

What are the four general principles of microscopy?

Back

Magnification, Numerical aperture, Resolution, Illumination, Focusing.

Front

What is magnification in microscopy?

Back

The process of enlarging the apparent size of objects, achieved through the use of lenses.

Front

How is total magnification calculated?

Back

Total magnification = Magnification of objective lens x Magnification of ocular lens.

Front

What does numerical aperture measure?

Back

A lens’ ability to 'capture' light from the specimen.

Front

What is resolution in microscopy?

Back

Clarity of an image; the measurement of how far two points are needed to view them as separate.

Front

What is the relationship between numerical aperture and resolution?

Back

Higher NA = less minimum distance = better resolution.

Front

What is the purpose of illumination in microscopy?

Back

Visualization of magnified and resolved images.

Front

What is the difference between coarse and fine focusing knobs?

Back

Coarse focusing knob = larger movement; Fine focusing knob = smaller movement.

Front

What is brightfield microscopy?

Back

Specimens are visualized because of differences in contrast or density between specimen and surroundings.