Could you resolve any of the following with your microscope?
Cell membrane 7.5–10 nm
Mitochondria 0.1–0.5 um wide; 10 um length
Ribosome15-20 nm
Resolution is given by the formula by Abbe : (wavelength / 2 )* NA
NA = refractive index * sin , refractive index= 1.45 for oil immersions, maximum alpha is 144 degrees, Alpha is angular aperture. wavelength is about 0.5 micrometer. calculating..
(0.5/2)* 1.45= 0.36 micrometers. Anything less than that cannot be resolved. So mitochondria can only be resolved by using microscopes.
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