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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| 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.