MICROSCOPE

18th Century

A compound microscope used in 18thcentury France. First developed in the late

16th century, compound microscopes use
two or more sets of lenses to achieve high
magnification.

TYPES OF MICROSCOPE

I. OPTICAL MICROSCOPES

Hookes Microscope

English scientist Robert Hooke built this microscope in the 17th

century and used it to conduct pioneering research. He
discovered the cell structure of plants by observing a thin slice of
cork under his microscope.

Important Tools in Biology

Microscopes

is an instrument that uses

lenses to produce an enlarged and
focused image of a specimen.
Two properties:
1. Magnification is the ratio between
the image size and the object size.
2. Resolution (Resolving power) refers
to the smallest degree of separation at
which two objects are viewed as distinct
from one another, rather than as a blurry,
single image.

Micron ()- unit of measurement used in

microscope study.
Conversion of Units:
1 = 0.000001m
1 = 0.001mm
Examples:
Range of Bacteria = 0.5 to 2
Range of some nerve cells = 1000

Types of Microscopes
1. Compound Light
Microscope
focuses and bends
visible light through a
specimen to produce
a magnified image.
*Magnification = up to
1500x
*Resolution = 0.1 to
0.2

Computation for the size of specimen

TM =OLM x ELM
Where:
TM = Total Magnification
OLM = Objective Lens Magnification
ELM = Eyepiece Lens magnification

Types of Microscopes
2. Stereomicroscope
(Dissecting Microscope)
consists of two
eyepieces and two
objective lenses.
- used for dissecting
small specimens.
Magnification = ranging
from 4x to 50x

Types of Microscopes
3. Electron Microscope uses a
beam of electrons instead of light
to create image.
- the beam of electrons is focused
using magnetic lenses.
Resolution power = about 1,000
times

Types of Electron Microscopes

a.

Transmission
Electron Microscope
(TEM) uses a
magnetic field beam
to focus a beam of
electrons through a
thin section of the
specimen.
Magnification =
about 100,000 times

Types of Electron Microscopes

b. Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM)
gives a surface view
of a threedimensional
specimen by
bouncing electrons
off its surface.
Magnification = about
10,000 times

Types of Electron Microscopes

c. Scanning Tunneling
Microscope (STM)
allows viewing of
atoms on the surface
of a solid.
Magnification = over 1
million times

OTHER SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

1.

Ultracentrifuge a
machine used to
separate
suspended
particles in a
mixture.

OTHER SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

2. Chromatography
used in separating
substances in a
mixture.
Types:
a. Paper
Chromatography
b. Column
Chromatography

OTHER SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

3. Electrophoresis
used to separate
substances in a
mixture according to
how fast they move
when subjected to an
electric current.
- commonly used to
purify proteins based
on their sizes and
shapes.

OTHER SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

4. X-ray Diffraction
useful for analysis of
protein crystals using
X-rays of a single
wavelength.

OTHER SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

5. Spectrophotometer
used to determine the
amount of proteins or
nucleic acid present in
a solution.
- measures the
amount of light
absorbed by the
solution at specific
wavelength.

OTHER SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

6. Computer useful
in storing vast
amounts of
information.
- also used to
organize data, make
long and complex
calculations and
make graphs to
summarize results.