Which objective lens provides the least total magnification?

Which objective lens provides the least total magnification?

Multiple Choice

a.       low power

b.      scan

c.       oil immersion

d.      high power

Answer: b. scan

The scan objective lens has the lowest total magnification that is present in a compound light microscope.

The scan objective generally boasts 4X magnification. As an assembly with a 10x objective lens, it gives the final magnification of only 4 x 10 = 40X.

In comparison, the other standard objective lenses provide higher total magnification:

1. The ten to one objective, 10x usually gives a total magnification of (10 * 10) = 100 * total magnification

2. The high power objective is 40x, giving a total magnification multiplying with 400.

3. For the oil immersion lens, it is 100x. And thus multiplying with 10 gives a total magnification of 1 thousand times of total magnification.

Hence, the lowest magnification power for all objective lenses is observed with scan lens as it offers a value of significantly lower than 4x. This is magnified up to 40x if used in combination with the ten times eyepiece .

In summary, it can be concluded that scan objective lens is the smallest total magnification for a compound light microscope. It is a low 4x power paired with the ten times ocular that results in just forty total magnification, lower than any other objective lens.