Y7 Cells

Cell

The basic unit of life.

Unicellular

Made of one cell.

Multicellular

Made of many cells.

Tissue

A group of similar cells working together.

Organ

A structure made of different tissues that performs a job.

Organ System

A group of organs working together.

Organism

A living thing.

Organelle

A structure inside a cell with a specific function.

Structure

The shape or arrangement of parts.

Function

The job or purpose of something.

Cell Wall

A rigid layer that supports and protects plant cells.

Cell Membrane

Controls what enters and leaves the cell.

Cytoplasm

Jelly-like material where many chemical reactions occur.

Nucleus

Controls the activities of the cell.

Vacuole

A fluid-filled sac used for storage.

Chloroplast

Contains chlorophyll and carries out photosynthesis.

Mitochondrion

An organelle that releases energy from food.

Mitochondria

More than one mitochondrion.

Eyepiece

The lens you look through on a microscope.

Objective

The lens that magnifies the specimen.

Stage

The platform that holds the slide.

Coarse Focus

Used to bring the image into rough focus.

Fine Focus

Used to sharpen the image.

Magnification

How much larger the image appears.

Resolution

How clearly details can be seen.

Slide

A thin piece of glass used to hold a specimen.

Coverslip

A thin glass cover placed over the specimen.

Stain

A dye used to make cell structures easier to see.

Iodine

A stain commonly used to colour cells for viewing.

Field of View

The area visible through the microscope.

Micrometre (µm)

A unit used to measure very small objects (one millionth of a metre).

Microorganism

A living thing too small to see without a microscope.

Bacteria

Single-celled microorganisms without a nucleus.

Yeast

A single-celled fungus.

Protist

A simple organism that is not a plant, animal, or fungus.

Flagellum

A tail-like structure used for movement.

Cilia

Tiny hair-like structures used for movement.