Question

A bacterium measures 2 ocular units when you use the microscope with a 100x objective lens (and 10x ocular lens). How big is this bacterium in reality? Explain your answer

Answer 1

Microscopes are the instruments, which are used to see the very small objects that are invisible to be seen by naked eyes. The magnification of the image is dependent on the product of the magnifications of the two lenses used in microscopes. The two lenses used in microscopes are an objective and an ocular lens.

As per the question,

The objective and ocular magnifications of the microscope are 100X and 10X, respectively.

Thus, the total magnification will be:

This means the given object will appear a thousand times its original size.

As per the question,

A bacterium appears 2 ocular units under the microscope with a total magnification of 1000X.

Thus, the original size of the bacterium will be:

Here, the calculated value for the original size of the bacterium is 0.002 ocular units under the microscope with the total magnification of 1000X. This means the bacterium is 1000 times smaller than the size it appeared under the microscope with 1000X of total magnification.