Final answer:
In microscopy, high contrast helps in distinguishing sample structures, achieved via stains and wave interference, while insufficient penetration affects the detail visible in the specimen.
Step-by-step explanation:
Without access to Figure 7-10 directly, we can address the concepts generally spoken in similar figures in educational biology materials. High contrast in microscopy is crucial for distinguishing the structures within the sample. It is achieved by various means, including staining or the use of wave interference techniques. For instance, stains like dyes or fluorophores enhance contrast by allowing specific components within a sample to stand out against the background. In the context of microscopy, insufficient penetration implies that the imaging method used did not have enough power to reveal the inner structures of the specimen, resulting in a lack of detail and potential misinterpretation of the sample's features.
Examples of enhancing contrast can be seen in Figure 27.51, where light passing through a sample with different indices of refraction creates a contrast through wave interference. Similarly, comparing brightfield and phase-contrast images, as shown in Figure 2.17, demonstrates how techniques such as phase-contrast microscopy can illuminate and provide details in specimens, which would otherwise appear almost invisible against the background in unstained brightfield images.