Immersion oil improves resolution by: a. limiting light refraction. b. magnifying the specimen. c. improving specimen contrast. d. making light waves shorter. e. making light waves faster.
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Understand the purpose of immersion oil in microscopy, which is to enhance the resolution of the image.
Recall that resolution is the ability to distinguish two points as separate entities in a microscopic image.
Consider how immersion oil works: it has a refractive index similar to glass, which reduces the refraction of light as it passes from the glass slide to the objective lens.
Analyze the options given: (a) limiting light refraction, (b) magnifying the specimen, (c) improving specimen contrast, (d) making light waves shorter, (e) making light waves faster.
Identify that the correct answer is related to the reduction of light refraction, which is option (a).
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Light Refraction
Light refraction occurs when light passes from one medium to another, causing it to change speed and direction. In microscopy, immersion oil is used to reduce the refraction of light as it moves from the glass slide into the air, allowing more light to enter the objective lens. This results in improved resolution and clarity of the image.
Resolution refers to the ability of a microscope to distinguish between two closely spaced objects. It is determined by the wavelength of light used and the numerical aperture of the lens. Immersion oil increases the numerical aperture, thereby enhancing the resolution and allowing finer details of the specimen to be observed.
Numerical aperture (NA) is a dimensionless number that characterizes the range of angles over which the system can accept or emit light. Higher NA values indicate better light-gathering ability and resolution. Using immersion oil increases the NA of the objective lens, which is crucial for achieving high-resolution images in microscopy.