The magnification of a biological microscope is typically low, ranging from 40x to 1000x. This is because biological samples are usually transparent and require moderate magnification to observe the structures of cells and tissues.
In a biological microscope, the magnification is determined by the combination of the objective lens and the eyepiece. Common objective lens magnifications include 4x, 10x, 40x, and 100x, while the eyepiece typically has a magnification of 10x. Therefore, the maximum magnification of a typical biological microscope is 100x objective multiplied by 10x eyepiece, which equals 1000x.
It's important to note that the magnification of a biological microscope is not as high as that of an electron microscope because biological samples are often complex in structure, and the observation process requires maintaining the viability and integrity of the specimens. Additionally, the resolution of a biological microscope is also crucial as biological structures are often very small and require high resolution to observe fine details.
In certain specialized applications that require higher magnification, such as pathological research or microsurgery, higher magnification eyepiece (e.g., 16x or higher) can be used in combination with appropriate eyepieces to achieve higher magnification. However, these high-magnification observations usually require more complex sample preparation and microscopy techniques and demand greater skill from the operator.