Microscopes Lab Techniques What is a light microscope

Microscopes & Lab Techniques

What is a light microscope? • Light Microscope – a device that uses light to produce an enlarged view of an object An example of a simple microscope is a magnifying glass

What is a compound microscope? • Compound Microscope – contains 2 or more objective lenses. – One lens (low power) produces an enlarged image – Another lens (high power) further magnifies the image

Magnification vs. Resolution • Magnification – the enlargement of an image • Resolution – how sharp or in focus an object is

What is an electron microscope? • Electron Microscope – can magnify images more than 250, 000 X – Uses electron beams rather than light

• A Scanning Electron Microscope

An ant

Leaf from a Black Walnut tree

Pollen

A moth

A human skin cell

A cancer cell

Centrifugation • Centrifugation – a process by which materials suspended in a liquid can be separated from each other based on density

Microdissection • Microdissection – tiny instruments are used to perform various operations on living cells

Tissue Culture • Tissue Culture – the technique of maintaining living cells or tissues in a culture medium outside the body

Chromatography • Chromatography – any technique that separates different substances based on their chemical and physical properties

Electrophoresis • Electrophoresis – the technique for separating substances made up of particles that have an electrical charge

Spectrophotometry • Spectrophotometry – a technique of using light to analyze samples