When using a compound microscope, you should always begin focusing at which magnification?
AThe highest available
BMedium (10x objective)
CThe lowest available
DIt does not matter
Always start at the lowest magnification. This gives the widest field of view, making it easiest to find and center your specimen. Once the image is focused at low power, you can switch to higher magnification for a closer look. Starting at high magnification makes it very hard to find anything because the field of view is tiny.
Question 2 True / False
A compound microscope uses mainly one lens to magnify objects.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
A compound microscope uses two sets of lenses — the eyepiece lens and the objective lens — working together. 'Compound' means the magnification of both lenses is multiplied. For example, a 10x eyepiece with a 40x objective gives 400x total magnification.
Question 3 Short Answer
If a microscope's eyepiece is 10x and the objective lens is 40x, what is the total magnification?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: 400x. You multiply the eyepiece magnification (10x) by the objective magnification (40x) to get the total: 10 × 40 = 400x.
Total magnification is always the product of the two lens magnifications, not the sum. This is because each lens magnifies the image produced by the other, so the effects multiply.