Changes in microscope technologySpec 1.3
Early light microscopes could show cells, but not much detail inside them. Two ideas matter here. Magnification is how many times bigger the image is than the real object. Resolution (resolving power) is how well a microscope can show two points that are close together as separate points.
| Light microscope | Electron microscope | |
|---|---|---|
| Uses | Light and glass lenses | A beam of electrons |
| Magnification | Lower | Much higher |
| Resolution | Lower | Much higher |
| What can be seen | Cells, nucleus, and some larger structures such as chloroplasts | Fine detail, such as the internal structure of mitochondria and chloroplasts, and ribosomes |
Because electron microscopes have a higher magnification and higher resolution, we can see sub-cellular structures in much more detail and with more clarity than in the past. This has increased our understanding of what each structure does, because we can now see how its structure is related to its function.