Final answer:
At 40x magnification, blood cells appear smaller and more are visible at once, while at 400x magnification, each blood cell is larger and more detailed within a smaller field of view. Colors do not change with magnification but appear more defined.
Step-by-step explanation:
When observing blood cells under a microscope at different magnifications, we see significant changes in their appearance. At 40x magnification, blood cells will be fairly small and you'll be able to see many of them at once. When moving to a higher magnification, such as 400x, each blood cell will appear much larger on the screen, occupying more of the field of view. At this higher magnification, details of the cells, such as the cell membrane and possibly the nucleus, depending on the type of cell, become more visible and clear due to the enhanced resolving power of the microscope.
With increased magnification, the colors do not inherently change; however, any contrast present due to staining or the natural coloration of the cells will also be magnified, making the details more apparent. The field of view becomes smaller as magnification increases, meaning that fewer cells will be observable at one time. Therefore, each blood cell will take up a larger portion of the field of view at 400x compared to at 40x. It is a common misconception that cells look smaller at higher magnifications, but in fact, they are enlarged and easier to study due to more significant detail being visible.