Portage Learning: Microbiology, Module
3 – MICROSCOPY
micrometer ✔✔one millionth of a meter
nanometer ✔✔one billionth of a meter
resolution and contrast ✔✔two critical factors that influence our ability to see an obj
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Portage Learning: Microbiology, Module
3 – MICROSCOPY
micrometer ✔✔one millionth of a meter
nanometer ✔✔one billionth of a meter
resolution and contrast ✔✔two critical factors that influence our ability to see an object
resolution ✔✔the distance between two objects at which the objects still can be seen as separate
greater ✔✔the closer two objects are to each other the __________________ the resolution
requirement
contrast ✔✔the difference in light absorbance between two areas (objects)
lower ✔✔the ________________ the contrast between an object and its background, the harder it
will be to see the object
bright field microscope ✔✔simplest form of light, or optical, microscopy/light, most often emitted
from a standard halogen bulb, enters the microscope from the base (bottom) and is reflected via
mirrors towards the sample
condenser ✔✔before the light reaches the sample, it first passes through a ________________
converging the light beams into a focused area on the sample
iris diaphragm ✔✔controls the amount of light that passes through the sample and into the
objective lens
objective lens ✔✔the lens closest to the sample and yields the greatest amount of magnification
directly proportional ✔✔the degree of magnification is ______________________ to the amount
of light needed/to image samples clearly at higher magnifications, more light is required
ocular lens ✔✔eyepiece
10x ✔✔most common power of ocular lens
total magnification ✔✔objective x ocular lens=
staining ✔✔required due to the limitation of resolution on unstained cells, (i.e.) often the flat and
transparent regions of a cell may appear invisible under bright field conditions/with various dyes,
these regions can become labeled and thus visualized.
phase contrast microscope ✔✔able to visualize certain structures that would otherwise be
invisible/ can provide detailed images of live cells without staining./uses specialized condensers
and objectives, it amplifies the slight differences between cells and the surrounding medium
(background) to make the cells highly distinguishable/can be used to visualize cell movements
dark field microscope ✔✔can be used to greatly increase the contrast between a specimen and
background, resulting in a dark backgro
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