Return to: How to Use a Microscope or Looking vs. Seeing or The form of a Minuet
Check out Histology World's Table of Contents for Audio Histology Slides, Histology Games, and more!
To get a sense of the
importance of size in microscopy, see
the following on Cell Size & Scale:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/
(Just drag the bar right to increase, and
left to decrease, the magnification.
Note, also, the scale that appears in the upper left hand corner!)
In your study of cells you may very well come across images similar to those below. Some things to consider:
These cells are in a level of detail that FAR EXCEEDS the magnification possible with a Compound Light Microscope.
In order to get the kind of resolution illustrated below, you would need to use an Electron Microscope.
As such, very few of the structures illustrated below are visible with a Compound Light Microscope.
Animal Cell |
Plant Cell |
Bacterium |
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 |
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| More Information | More Information | More Information |
| All Images are from an
INTRODUCTION TO CELL AND VIRUS
STRUCTURE created by Molecular Expressions, a wonderful website created by faculty at Florida State University |
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We will be using this to determine what we are LOOKING at, so that we might actually SEE it! What is actually visible with a Compound Light Microscope will act as the prior knowledge that will allow us to comprehend what we are viewing through our eyepiece. This just leaves one question:
Before you start to practice your drawings, you should refer to the TIPS ON MAKING GOOD DRAWINGS, which can be found on my HOW TO USE A MICROSCOPE PROPERLY page. In addition to tips on labeling, you must, above all, remember to:
Apply your knowledge of
cell structure to your drawings!
An unlabeled drawing is nothing more than
scratches on a piece of paper!
Practice first by making pencil drawings of the following images.
Include the appropriate labels on your drawings.
Once you have completed steps 1 & 2 above, you should check out the labeled drawings below to see how those drawing should appear.
Return to: How to Use a Microscope or Looking vs. Seeing or The form of a Minuet