How to Calculate a Cell by Width
Cells can be sized in area or in volume, and to calculate either of these values you'll need to know the cell width. For example, Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) is an index that measures aberrant cell volume within red blood cells. High RDW values mean that the cells have very different volumes; an anemic patient would have a high RDW value. Calculate the width of a cell in the same way you would measure its length or diameter.
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Things You'll Need
- Microscope with 10X and 40X objectives
- 400X field of view ruler
- Transparency paper
- Scissors
- Organism slide
Instructions
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1
Print the 400X field of view ruler on a piece of overhead transparency paper.
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2
Cut out the ruler from the transparency paper.
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3
Turn on your microscope and set it to 40X objective and 10X eyepiece.
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4
Set the cutout field of view ruler on the microscope stage and place the organism slide on top of it. Clip the ruler and the slide to the stage.
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5
Use the ruler to measure the diameter of the field of view. As an example, the diameter is 500 microns.
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Determine how many cells could fit widthwise across the field of view. For example, the widths of four cells could fit across the field of view diameter.
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7
Divide the diameter of the field of view by the number of cells that could fit widthwise across the field of view. This will give you the width of the cell. In the example, 500 microns divided by 4 cells equals 125 microns. The cell has a width of 125 microns.
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