DIMENSIONS IN LIGHT MICROSCOPY – 2
Assess the size of objects observed with a microscope
The magnification an image obtained using a microscope is usually expressed by:
– by indicating its final magnification, that is, numerically how many times the image is enlarged in relation to the real object present in the section
– or a small bar drawn on the image, the length of which indicates a measurement to be used as a reference to be compared with the size of objects in the image. See one of such bars in the image.
The magnification an image obtained using a microscope is usually expressed by:
– by indicating its final magnification, that is, numerically how many times the image is enlarged in relation to the real object present in the section
– or a small bar drawn on the image, the length of which indicates a measurement to be 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 suffucient for the didatic purposes of MOL.
Here is 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.