Microscope Magnification

M = - \frac{L}{f _{o}} \cdot \frac{D}{f _{e}}

The total magnification of a compound microscope is the product of objective magnification (-L/f_o) and eyepiece magnification (D/f_e).

Variables

Total magnification

unitless

Tube length (distance between lenses)

f_o

Focal length of objective

f_e

Focal length of eyepiece

Near point distance (25 cm)

Derivation

The objective creates a real, inverted, magnified image at distance L from the objective. The eyepiece then acts as a magnifying glass on this intermediate image.

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