In: Physics
A scientist is having difficulty distinguishing between two closely spaces molecules using a microscope. Which of the following could he do to improve the resolution of his device? Increase the diameter of the microscope lens Increase the distance between the lens and the molecules Increase the wavelength of the light used to view the molecules
By increasing the diameter of the microscope lens , he can improve the resolution of microscope.
Explanation : The resolution of an optical microscope is defined as the shortest distance between two points on a specimen that can still be distinguished by the observer as separate entities.
Resolving power of a microscope =
where is the angle of the cone is refractive index .
So, when the diameter of lens (dependent on the value of ) is increased then resolving power of microscope increases (as increase when diameter of lens increase).
Note : Also from the equation, its clear that shorter wavelengths give more resolving power than the greater wavelengths