Microscopy and Specialised Cells

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering microscopy principles, microscope components, unit conversions, and the structures, adaptations, and functions of plant and animal specialised cells.

Microscope

An instrument that produces a magnified image of objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye.

Objective Lenses

A set of three or four lenses on a microscope providing a range of different magnifications.

Eyepiece Lens

The top lens assembly of the microscope through which the viewer looks.

Stage (Microscope)

A flat platform that holds the slide in place for observation under the lens.

Arm (Microscope)

The structural component that supports and connects the eyepiece lens to the base, also functioning as a carrying handle.

Slide

A thin piece of glass that holds the specimen during microscopic observation.

Focus Wheel

A mechanism used to adjust the distance between the specimen and lens to bring the object into and out of focus.

Lamp (Microscope)

The light source that illuminates the specimen, which is sometimes used in conjunction with a mirror.

Base (Microscope)

The bottom support structure of the microscope.

Robert Hooke's Cork Cells

The tiny room-like compartments observed in cork tissue under an early microscope by Robert Hooke, leading him to coin the term 'cells'.

Magnification

A measurement of how many times bigger an image appears compared to the actual size of the object.

Resolution

The ability of a microscope to distinguish between two separate points, determined by its resolving power.

Micrometre ($\mu\text{m}$)

A unit of metric length equal to $10^{-3}\,\text{mm}$ ($1\,\text{mm} = 1000\,\mu\text{m}$) or $1000\,\text{nm}$.

Nanometre ($\text{nm}$)

A unit of metric length equal to $10^{-3}\,\mu\text{m}$ ($1\,\mu\text{m} = 1000\,\text{nm}$).

Red Blood Cell

A specialised cell found in blood that carries oxygen, featuring a biconcave shape, no nucleus, and haemoglobin to bind oxygen.

Haemoglobin

A protein inside red blood cells that binds to oxygen for transport throughout the body.

Biconcave Shape

The disc-like, indented shape of red blood cells that increases surface area to allow rapid oxygen diffusion.

Sperm Cell

A male reproductive cell found in the testes designed to fertilise the egg, equipped with a tail for swimming, many mitochondria, an enzyme-filled acrosome, and a haploid nucleus.

Acrosome

The enzyme-containing structure in the head of a sperm cell that digests outer layers of an egg cell to allow fertilisation.

Egg Cell

A large, bulky female reproductive cell found in the ovaries containing yolk as a food store for the developing embryo and carrying a haploid nucleus.

Haploid

A term describing a cell that contains half the usual number of chromosomes, such as sperm and egg cells.

Root Hair Cell

A plant root cell with an elongated extension that provides a large surface area, a thin cell wall, and numerous mitochondria for active transport of water and mineral uptake.

Active Transport

The energy-requiring process powered by mitochondria in root hair cells that enables the uptake of water and minerals from the soil.

Nerve Cell

An elongated cell (up to $25\,\text{m}$ long) designed to carry electrical signals and nerve impulses to different parts of the body, featuring dendrites at each end.

Dendrites

Branch-like connections found at each end of a nerve cell that enable the reception and transmission of electrical signals.

Sensory Neurone

A type of nerve cell that carries nerve impulses toward the Central Nervous System.

Motor Neurone

A type of nerve cell that carries impulses away from the Central Nervous System to the muscles.

Guard Cell

Specialised cells found in plant leaves that swell or shrink to control the opening and closing of stomata, regulating water loss.

Stomata

Microscopic pores or holes in plant leaves controlled by guard cells through which water and gases pass.

Xylem Cells

Dead, hollow plant cells reinforced with lignin that form continuous vessels to carry water upward without collapsing.

Lignin

A strong polymer embedded in xylem cell walls that provides structural rigidity and prevents the vessels from collapsing under tension.

Phloem and Xylem

The plant vascular tissues responsible for transport: xylem transports water through dead, hollow tubes, while phloem transports dissolved substances through perforated tubes supported by companion cells.

Phloem Cells

Living plant cells that form long tubes with perforated ends to allow water and dissolved substances to flow through.

Companion Cells

Specialised plant cells adjacent to phloem tubes that contain abundant mitochondria to supply energy for moving dissolved substances.

White Blood Cell

A disease-fighting blood cell with a lobed nucleus and cytoplasmic granules that can change shape to exit blood vessels, engulf bacteria, or generate antibodies.

Palisade Cell

A photosynthetic plant cell found on the upper surface of leaves and outer stem layers, packed with chloroplasts and possessing a large permanent vacuole to maintain rigidity.

Muscle Cell

A cell found in cardiac, smooth, and skeletal tissue containing many mitochondria and specialised contractile proteins that slide past one another to produce contraction.