Microscopy Problem Set
Proportions and Scale:
To understand the importance of microscopy and its limitations, one has to understand something of
proportion and scale.
Go to the Learn Genetics Website (http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/) and use
the scroll bar to predict the difference in size of things from a coffee bean to a carbon atom.
How many times greater is the length of a coffee bean compared to a grain of rice?
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How many times greater is the length of a grain of salt versus an amoeba?
How many times greater is the length of an amoeba versus a skin cell?
How many times greater is the length of an E. coli bacterium than a lysosome?
If you lined-up measles virus particles, how many would you need to have the same length as a
lysosome?
Which is longer: a ribosome or tRNA? By how much?
How many times longer is a glucose molecule versus a carbon atom?
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Use the internet to define a micron and and angstrom. How do they compare with the width of a human
hair?
Use the internet to determine the smallest size one can see with the naked eye.
Plant Versus Animal Cells:
Use the Buzzle website (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/plant-and-animal-cell-differences.htm) and
explain 7 major differences between plant and animal cells.
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Are plants and animals prokaryotes or eukaryotes? Circle one.
What are the major physical obstacles for plant cells when then divide?
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