A microscope magnifies the image of an object so smaller details can be seen by the eye. It forms a magnified image by focusing light through a series of glass lenses on a tissue section.

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Because both the objective lens and the eye piece invert the image, the final image seen through the eyepiece has the same orientation as in the specimen.

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The light path in a bright-field microscope is the opposite of what is shown here. The light source is beneath a stage that holds the specimen. Light passes upwards through the condenser, specimen, objective lens, and eyepiece.

Resolution is the smallest distance between two objects that can be distinguished as separate objects. The human eye can resolve objects separated by a least 0.250 mm. A magnification of 1,000x would give a resolution of ~0.25 µm.

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Observed resolution is usually poorer because of misaligned condenser lens, scattering by the specimen, aberrations in the objectives, and broad spectrum of colors used to stain specimens.

University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development 6-160 Jackson Hall 321 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

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Total magnification is calculated by multiplying the magnifications of the objective lens and the eyepiece. With a 100x objective lens and a 10x eyepiece, the total useful magnification is 1,000x.

University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development 6-160 Jackson Hall 321 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455