Concept 6.1: Biologists use microscopes and biochemistry to study cells

Flashcards from Concept 6.1 of Pearson's Campbell Biology, Twelfth Edition.

Microscope

An instrument used to magnify objects to small to be seen by the naked eye

Light microscope (LM)

A microscope where visible light is passed through a specimen and then through glass lenses, which magnify the image

Magnification

The ratio of an object’s image size to its real size

Resolution

The measure of the clarity of the image

Organelles

The membrane-enclosed structures in eukaryotic cells, such as mitochondria which aids ATP and cellular respiration

• Light microscopy cannot study these due to low resolutions despite staining or labeling

Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs)

Electron microscope that focuses a beam of electrons onto the surface of a specimen, providing images that look 3-D

Transmission electron microscopes (TEMs)

Electron microscope that focuses a beam of electrons through a specimen, used to study internal cell structures

Electron microscopes (EMs)

Microscopes that transmit electrons to view closer details, can be cost prohibitive and includes scanning electron microscopes and transmission electron microscopes

Cell fractionation

The use of centrifuges to fractionate cells into their component parts of organelles, helping determine the functions of organelles based on structure