In this deck, we'll explore the microscopic world. You'll learn about the two main types of microscope, light and electron, and how to calculate magnification. We will also cover two important required practicals: how to use a light microscope to view cells, and how to safely culture microorganisms to test the effectiveness of antiseptics.

Microscopes are instruments that make objects appear larger. The simplest type is a magnifying glass, but in the lab we use compound light microscopes, which use multiple lenses to achieve higher magnification. The key purpose of any microscope is to magnify an object, making details visible that are too small to see with the naked eye.

There are two main types of microscope you need to know for your GCSE: light microscopes and electron microscopes. Light microscopes, as the name suggests, work by passing light through a specimen and using glass lenses to focus the light and magnify the image.

Electron microscopes are much more powerful. Instead of light, they use a beam of electrons, which are focused using magnets. This allows them to achieve much higher magnification and also a much better resolution. Resolution is the ability to distinguish between two points that are very close together, meaning you can see things in much finer detail.