Final answer:
The magnification of a microscope is the product of the magnification produced individually by the ocular and objective lenses. Objective lenses typically range from 4x to 100x, and ocular lenses usually have a magnification of 10x. Thus, total magnification is calculated by multiplying the magnifications of these two lenses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The magnification of a microscope is equal to the product of magnification produced individually by the ocular (eyepiece) and objective lenses. When we talk about compound microscopes, as the ones most commonly used in laboratories, they feature two main types of lenses: the objective lens and the ocular lens or eyepiece.
The magnification of the objective lens (often ranging from 4x to 100x) is combined with the magnification of the ocular lens, which typically magnifies images 10 times (10x). The overall magnification is therefore the multiplication of these two magnifications. For example, if the objective lens magnifies by 40x and the ocular lens by 10x, the total magnification would be 400x.
It's worth noting that the Numerical Aperture (NA) is not directly involved in calculating magnification, but is a measure relating to the light-gathering ability and resolution of the microscope's objective lens.