Assume you are asked to view and draw all samples at a final magnification of 1000x. If the ocular lens is 10x, what objective lens should be in place as you draft your drawings?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the total magnification required, which is 1000x.
2. Understand that total magnification is the product of the magnification of the ocular lens and the objective lens.
3. Given that the ocular lens magnification is 10x, set up the equation: Total Magnification = Ocular Lens Magnification x Objective Lens Magnification.
4. Substitute the known values into the equation: 1000x = 10x x Objective Lens Magnification.
5. Solve for the Objective Lens Magnification by dividing both sides of the equation by 10x.

Key Concepts

Total Magnification

Total magnification in microscopy is calculated by multiplying the magnification of the ocular lens by the magnification of the objective lens. For example, if the ocular lens is 10x and the desired total magnification is 1000x, the objective lens must provide the remaining magnification needed to reach that total.

Ocular Lens

The ocular lens, or eyepiece, is the lens through which a viewer looks to see the magnified image of the specimen. Typically, ocular lenses have a standard magnification of 10x, which means they magnify the image ten times its actual size, serving as the first stage of magnification in a compound microscope.

Objective Lens

The objective lens is the primary lens that gathers light from the specimen and magnifies the image. Different objective lenses provide various levels of magnification, commonly ranging from 4x to 100x. To achieve a total magnification of 1000x with a 10x ocular lens, an objective lens of 100x must be used.