Chapter 3, Problem 1SA

Summary Introduction

To review:

The importance of resolving power in microscopy.

Introduction:

The major essence of microbiology study lies in microscopy. It is through microscope only that one is able to see the detailed structure of a microscopic organism, which is otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Microscopes are the optical instruments, which are used to study the microscopic organisms that are invisible to the naked eye due to their small and microscopic size. The better the resolving power of a microscope, the better will be the clarity and observation of minute details present in the specimen.

Explanation of Solution

Resolving Power can be defined as the ability to distinguish between two points lying close to each other or if two points are lying adjacent to each other (if seen from a distance) still can be distinguished as two individual points without getting merged or overlapped. Thus, more the resolving power, higher is the clarity of a specimen observed under the microscope. The resolving power of a microscope depends on various factors such as

1) Nature and type of lens used: The resolving power of a microscope depends on the type of lens used. Like in the compound microscope, two convex lenses are used to observe the specimen.

2) The wavelength of light: This plays an important role in refraction and making the specimen visible to the eye. The shorter the wavelength of the light, better is the resolution.

3) Magnification: The enlargement of an image or the specimen depends on the magnification provided by the lenses used in the microscope.

4) Preparation of specimen: The specimen must be properly stained, washed, and then prepared to avoid any artifacts and improve the resolution.

The resolving power of a light microscope is 0.2 µm (micrometer), which is fine to watch a prokaryotic cell but not helpful in observing small structures like viruses.

One of the major function of resolving power is that it helps us to know the minute detailed structure of a microscopic species, which is invisible to the naked eye.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be concluded that resolving power is of high importance in the field of microbiology as it reveals the detailed structure of a microscopic organism. The cellular components, such as the nucleus, mitochondria, lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, and other cellular compartments, which are not visible to the naked eye, gets easily visible. Thus, a detailed structure of a microparticle could be drawn with the help of resolving power of the microscope.