Types of Microscopy: Light, Electron, Scanning Probe

Which type of light microscopy creates high-contrast images without staining?

What type of microscopy uses visible light to view specimens?

What is the primary advantage of electron microscopes over light microscopes?

Which microscopy technique is useful for viewing live specimens like Treponema pallidum?

What type of lenses are used in electron microscopes to focus the electron beam?

How is the image formed by an electron microscope visualized?

What is the primary function of the electro magnets in an electron microscope?

What is the main advantage of using dark-field microscopy over bright-field microscopy?

How is the image formed by an electron microscope typically visualized?

Which type of microscopy is best suited for viewing the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum?

Which of the following is NOT a type of light microscopy mentioned in the text?

Which of the following statements about the resolving power of electron microscopes is true?

Types of Microscopy

There are three main types of microscopy: Light Microscopy, Electron Microscopy, and Scanning Probe Microscopy.

Light Microscopy

In Light Microscopy, visible light passes through the specimen being observed and through the lenses, which refract (bend) the light, magnifying the image.
Images obtained with Light Microscopes are referred to as Light Micrographs (LMs).
There are two main types of Light Microscopy:
- Bright-Field Microscopy: Light passes directly through the specimen, resulting in an image with little contrast unless the cell is naturally pigmented or artificially stained.
- Dark-Field Microscopy: The majority of the light is blocked by an opaque plate, creating high-contrast, high-resolution images of specimens without the use of stains, useful for viewing live specimens.

Electron Microscopy

Electron Microscopy uses an electron beam instead of a light beam, allowing researchers to study fine details or subcellular structures of cells (organelles).
Electron Microscopes have resolving powers of about 1 nm.
Electro-magnets are used as lenses to focus the energized electron beams.
The image formed by an Electron Microscope is not directly visible and has to be taken onto a screen, sometimes enhanced using a computer.
There are two types of Electron Microscopes.

Learn about the different types of microscopy including light microscopy, electron microscopy, and scanning probe microscopy. Explore how light microscopy works and the two main types: bright-field and dark-field microscopy.