What is microscopy?
Microscopy is the use of microscopes.
How do early light microscopes compare to modern electron microscopes regarding their core technology?
Early microscopes used light. • Modern electron microscopes use beams of electrons instead of light.
What is resolution in the context of anatomical images?
Resolution is the amount of fine detail that can be seen in an image. • It is the ability to distinguish between two separate points or objects.
How is the total magnification of a compound light microscope determined?
By multiplying the magnification of the objective lens times that of the ocular lens.
Describe the fundamental mechanism of the Compound Light Microscope (LM).
It is an optical instrument that directs visible light through a thin section of tissue. • The specimen is magnified first with an objective lens and then further by a second lens in the eyepiece (the ocular lens).
Describe the general mechanism of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM).
It uses magnets to direct a beam of electrons through the surface of a finely sectioned object. • The image is projected onto a photographic plate.
Describe the general mechanism of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).
The whole specimen is coated with an electron-dense material. • Electron beams bombard the specimen, and the reflection of some electrons creates a three-dimensional image. • The specimens prepared for SEM are not sectioned.
