Key Concepts in Biology

Can come up in both the Biology exam papers you sit for your GCSEs
Title: Microscopes
How do microscopes allow us to see small
LQ:
things?

What are these

images of?

A worm Steak

Eyelashes
 Recap: Can you name the parts of a microscope?
Starter:
Extension – what do they do?
A.Eyepiece lens
B.Fine focusing wheel
C.Coarse focusing wheel
D.Objective lens
E.Slide
F.Stage
G.Mirror/light
What are microscopes
used for?
Microscopes make very small
?
things look bigger

They ‘magnify’ images that are

otherwise too small to see with
the naked eye.
Can you guess
what it is?

A cat flea
Can you
guess what
it is?

Velcro
Can you guess what it is?

A toothbrush bristle,
covered in plaque.
Can you guess
what it is?

• The
human
tongue.
Can you guess what it is?

Salt and pepper.

Can you guess what it is?

A moth’s
wing.
 Magnification is the number of times
larger an image appears, compared to its
actual size
Down the microscope,
these red blood cells
appear to be 10 mm.
In reality, they are 10 µm
(0.01 mm).
So how much bigger do
they appear?

Magnification: 10 mm
0.01 mm = 1000 times
 Magnification
The process of enlarging
Make sure
the physical
your
appearance/image of definition is
something. correct.

EXTENSION: What do you think the

maximum magnification of a light
microscope is?
x1500
 Total Magnification
How do we work out the total
magnification?
Eyepiece lens

Objective lens

We multiply the
magnification of the two
lenses together.
 Total Magnification
Calculate the total magnification for the
following examples:

Eyepiece Objective Overall

Magnification Magnification Magnification

X10 X4   40
X10 X10 100
X10 X40   400
X10 X100   1000

x10 is the most common magnification

for the eyepiece lens.
• Using a microscope
• You are going to use a microscope and try and
take a photo of what you can see.
How have microscopes and their images changed over
the years? Look at the pictures and discuss with your
partner all of the ways you can think of.

1890

2010

1960
 1665: Robert Hooke observed
thinly sliced cork using an
early light microscope and 1832 Barthelemy Dumortier
called the compartments was the first to observe cell
‘cells’- coining the term we use division in plants, providing
today. evidence against the theories
of the time that new cells arise
from within old cells or that
they form spontaneously.

1674-1683: Anton van Leeuwenhoek developed powerful

glass lenses and observed pond water. He was the first
person to observe bacteria, calling them little animals or
‘animalcules’. Today we call them microorganisms.

History of microscopes/cells (you don’t need to remember this)

 1833: Robert Brown was the
first to describe the nucleus
of a plant.

1931: Ernst Ruska started to

build the first electron
microscope.

1844: Robert Remark was the first to

observe cell division in animal cells,
disproving that new cells originate in
old cells, but he was not believed at the
time.

History of microscopes/cells (you don’t need to remember this)

What is the difference between these
two microscope images?

A B

Image B has a lower resolution so it

appears blurry and not as ‘sharp’ as
image A.
 Microscopes have become more advanced…

• They have higher

magnifications…

• They have higher

resolutions (images are
much clearer) –
resolution refers to the
ability to distinguish
between two separate
points
 Resolution
Resolution is the KEYWORDS:
distinguish
ability to ……………………
between two points as Separate
separate structures.
………………… Detail
Essentially the level Distinguish
detail that can be
of ……………
Microscope
seen using a
microscope . EXTENSION: What do you think is
……………………
the maximum resolution of a light
microscope. 200nm
 Electron Microscopes
The electron microscope was
invented in the 1930s. It uses
beams of electrons passing
through a specimen to build up
an image.
They can magnify up to
x2000000 with resolutions
down to 0.00000001mm.
(0.1nm)
They allow us to see
cells/microorganisms in
greater detail than before.
Electron microscopes are used to view really
tiny things….
Electron microscopes also allowed us to see things
that we previously couldn’t due to its greater
magnification power.
 Units
When we’re talking about microscopic
organisms/components we often change
the units.
This is so we don’t end up using very long
numbers with loads of 0’s.

Imagine giving the size of a cell in metres.

 ÷ 1000
Metre
m ÷ 1000

Millimetre
mm ÷ 1000
x 1000
Micrometre
µm
÷ 1000
x1000
Nanometre
nm
x1000
Changing Picometre
Units pm
x1000
Complete the following table by converting
units:
Nanometre Micrometre Millimetre
5 0.005 0.000005
2  0.002 0.000002
 
 1000 1 0.001
 
 1 000 000  1000 1
 3500 3.5 0.0035
 
7  0.007  0.000007
 500 000  500 0.5
0.000563
 563  0.563   EXTENSION:
Add a metre and
picometre column
to your table.
Calculating magnification & actual size :
Calculating actual size:
Calculating magnification:
 How did you do?
Worksheet! Mark out of 13?
Set yourself a target!
1. (b) bigger
2. Magnification: how much bigger the image appears
compared to its actual size
Resolution: how clear the image is
3. (a) Scale bar: 26.5 mm ÷ 0.1 mm = 265 times
(b) (i) To make/synthesise proteins
(ii) Too small/light microscope does not have sufficient
magnification or resolution (1); electron microscope (1)
4. 1 cm ÷ 500 = 0.002 cm (or 2 x 10-3 cm)
5. (a) 1 x 10-4 m (b) 1 x 10-7 m (c) 1 x 10-10 m
 Using Magnification
Water flea questions
 Using Magnification
This water flea is 1mm long in real life.
Calculate how big it would
look (in mm) at the
following magnifications:
a) x20
b) x50
c) x150
d) x1200
e) x0.5
 Using Magnification
An image of the water flea is shown at 157mm
long.
What is the magnification used?
Magnification
Remember the actual Image size
size is 1mm.
x157 I

A M
Actual size
And finally…
 Progress Check

What is something that can only be seen with an

electron microscope?

State two differences between light and

electron microscopes.

How do you work out total magnification of

a microscope?

Explain the difference between

magnification and resolution.
TASK: Go to itunes u and complete
CB1a.2
Exam style question:

State 2 advantages of using

an electron microscope rather
than a light microscope.
(2 marks)

EXTENSION: Complete CB1a.3

Progression Questions:
1. What determines how good a microscope is at
showing small details?
2. What has the development of the electron
microscope allowed us to do?
3. What units are used for very small sizes?
Decide whether the statements are true or
false.
The greater
EXTENSION: the resolution
the sharper
Correct the Electron the image will
appear. Microscopes
microscopes
False ones. have a
have had no
impact on
greater
the study of
resolution
science.
A millimetre than light. Image size =
is 1000 magnification
micrometres x actual size
Magnification
Microscopes
is reducing
have one
the size of
lens that
an image/
Magnification magnifies. A specimen.
and nanometre
resolution is smaller
are the than a
same thing. picometre.