Which statement correctly describes how total magnification is determined in microscopy?

Which statement correctly describes how total magnification is determined in microscopy?

• A. It equals the sum of the magnifications of the objective lens and the eyepiece
• B. It equals the magnification of the eyepiece alone
• C. It equals the magnification of the objective lens alone
• D. It equals the product of the magnifications of the objective lens and the eyepiece

Answer: (D)

Total magnification in a compound microscope comes from two lenses working in sequence. The objective lens creates a real, magnified image of the specimen at its focal plane. The eyepiece then acts as a magnifier for that image, enlarging its apparent size for the eye. Because the eyepiece magnifies the image produced by the objective, the overall angular size you see is the product of the two magnifications. In other words, multiply the magnification of the objective by the magnification of the eyepiece to get total magnification. For example, a 40x objective combined with a 10x eyepiece yields 400x total magnification. The idea of summing the magnifications would not reflect how the two lenses boost the image; using the eyepiece by itself won't magnify the object without the objective's initial image, and using only the objective would not produce the view you see without an eyepiece, so the product is the correct description.

Total magnification in a compound microscope comes from two lenses working in sequence. The objective lens creates a real, magnified image of the specimen at its focal plane. The eyepiece then acts as a magnifier for that image, enlarging its apparent size for the eye. Because the eyepiece magnifies the image produced by the objective, the overall angular size you see is the product of the two magnifications. In other words, multiply the magnification of the objective by the magnification of the eyepiece to get total magnification. For example, a 40x objective combined with a 10x eyepiece yields 400x total magnification. The idea of summing the magnifications would not reflect how the two lenses boost the image; using the eyepiece by itself won't magnify the object without the objective's initial image, and using only the objective would not produce the view you see without an eyepiece, so the product is the correct description.