The magnification of an image obtained with a microscope is usually expressed by:
– indicating its final magnification, that is, numerically how many times the image was enlarged in relation to the size of the object present in the section.
– or a small bar drawn on the image. Its length is used as a reference to be compared with the size of objects in the image. See one of such bars in the image.
Liver. Staining: hematoxilyn and eosin. Medium magnification.
Here in MOL we adopted a simplified way to indicate magnifications: small, medium and large, which we deem to be sufficient for the didatic purposes of MOL.
A practical and simple way to reasonably assess the size of structures in microscopical images: a red blood cell or a small lymphocyte has an approximate diameter of 7 micrometers. Similarly, the diameters of the nuclei of a large number of cells measure 7 to 10 micrometers. By looking the size of a red blood cell, a small lymphocyte or a nucleus, it is possible to assess the measurements of other structures present in the image.