Fiducia TogetherMicroscopy and magnification
Seeing cells, and the calculation that always comes with it.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Light microscopes magnify up to about ×2000 and can show living cells. Electron microscopes have far higher magnification and resolution but cannot show living material.
Where it applies
GCSE biology and combined science.
How it works
Magnification = image size ÷ actual size, and the triangle is rearranged constantly. Resolution is the ability to distinguish two points as separate, which is why electron microscopes revealed organelles light microscopes could not.
How to use it in your work
Convert units BEFORE calculating. Millimetres and micrometres in the same calculation is the commonest error, and 1 mm = 1000 µm.
Show the rearrangement. Method marks are available even when the arithmetic goes wrong.
Where to get help
Your teacher, your board's specification for the depth required at your tier, and Bitesize for the diagrams. The subject song runs the topics in order.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Biology Song The GCSE biology specification, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.