Name: Giovanni Monterona Group Number: ___ Date completed: September 9, 2021

EXERCISE 2
THE MAGNIFICATION OF THE SPECIMEN

A. Macroscopic Specimen
The magnification of your macroscopic specimen can be obtained by the formula
below:
Magnification (X) = size of the drawing
actual size of the specimen

For example, if the length of the actual specimen is 2 cm and the length of your line
drawing of the specimen is 10 cm, then the magnification of your drawing will be (10/2)
= 5, indicated as 5x.

Another, if the object under study is 100 mm in width and your line drawing of it
measures only 20 mm, then the magnification of your line drawing is (20/100) =1/5,
indicated as 1/5x or 0.2x.

Instruction:

1. Secure an empty univalve shell or any animal that is easy to draw, handle and
measure (example: small fish, beetle, and other insect you can easily catch or find
at home).
2. Using a ruler, measure its actual length and width. Then make an enlarged drawing
and a reduced drawing of your specimen.
3. Measure the length and width of the respective drawings and then compute for
their magnifications.
4. Indicate the respective magnification below each drawing. Show your
computations.

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 0.75 x 2x

Enlarged drawing of the Guppy(Poecilia Reticulata) Reduced drawing of the Poecilia reticulata

Computations:
2.6 cm 7 cm
reduced magnification: = 0.75x Enlarged magnification: = 2x
3.5 cm 3.5 cm

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 B. Microscopic Specimen
Accurate magnification of a microscopic specimen is obtained by means of a micrometer
eyepiece; however, one can still express its approximate magnification by using the linear
magnification, which is the number of times the image of the specimen under focus
is enlarged as a product of the magnification of the objective and that of the
eyepiece, i.e:
Magnifying Power Magnifying Power
Magnification (X) = x
of the Eyepiece of the Objective

For example, if the magnification of the eyepiece is 10x and that of the objective is 10x,
then the magnification of the image as seen in that objective is (10x10) = 100x.

To compute the magnification of your drawing of a microscopic specimen, use the formula:

Magnification Magnifying Power Magnifying Power

(X) = x x Approximation
of Drawing of the Eyepiece of the Objective

If your drawing is twice as large as the image (by approximation) as seen under the
microscope, you can then the magnification of your drawing is 200x,

Magnification
(X) = 10x x 10x x 2
of Drawing

(X) = 200x

If your drawing is half as large as the image under the microscope, then the magnification
of your drawing is 50x,

Magnification 10x x 1/2

(X) = 10x x
of Drawing

(X) = 50x

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Instruction:
1. Proceed to http://www.ncbionetwork.org/iet/microscope/ and click on the “Explore” tab.
2. Click the slide box → animal slides → spider leg.
3. View the specimen using 4x and 10x objectives. Assume that the magnifying power of the
eyepiece is 10x.
4. Draw the specimen and indicate the magnification below your drawing.

magnifying power

20 x 50 x
Spider leg in SO Spider leg in LPO
Computations:
.SO magnification = 10X 𝒙 4x 𝒙 0.5 = 20x
.LPO magnification = 10X 𝒙 10x 𝒙 0.5 = 50x

5. Remove the slide and change it with human blood cells.

6. Click the slide box → human → blood.
7. View the specimen using 40x and 100x objectives. Erythrocytes or red blood cells stained
pink are the most numerous cells in the blood smear. The central portion of the erythrocyte
appear light pink or white because the mature cells are nonnucleated. Also visible are few
leukocytes or white blood cells. They have darkly-staining nuclei and are larger than the
erythrocytes. Leukocytes defend the body against bacterial invasion and invasion of other
foreign material.
8. Draw the 5 cells and indicate the magnification. Label an erythrocyte and a leukocyte in
your drawings.

750 x 300 x

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 Human Blood HPO Human Blood IOI
Computation:
.HPO magnification = 10X 𝒙 100x 𝒙 0.75 = 750x
.IOI magnification = 10X 𝒙 40x 𝒙 0.75 = 300x

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