Cell Biology Microscopy Techniques

📋 Course Outline

1. Microscopy Magnification and Resolution
2. Visible Light Microscopy
3. Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
4. Photon and Electron Microscopy
5. Transmission Electron Microscopy
6. Scanning Electron Microscopy

📖 1. Microscopy Magnification and Resolution

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Magnification : The ratio between the observed dimension and the actual size of the object.
• Resolution limit : The minimum distance separating two objects that can still be distinguished by a microscope.

📝 Essential Points

• The resolution limit is imposed by light diffraction and depends on the numerical aperture of the lens and the refractive index of the surrounding medium.

💡 Memory Hook

Magnification enlarges the image, whereas resolution separates two nearby objects.

📖 2. Visible Light Microscopy

📝 Essential Points

📌 Visible transmitted light microscopy uses polychromatic light in air, whereas fluorescence microscopy uses a single monochromatic wavelength.