Hi All,
My daughter, the CSI buff is working on a college project and needs a magnifying device to be able to clearly see the cuticles of hair strands somewhat like on this page. http://www.answersingenesis.org/arti...ing-human-hair. Can someone tell me about what this image is magnified to? She also needs to be able to view the Cortex and the Medula so that she can distinguish between human and animal hairs and also hairs vs synthetic fibers. Also, there is an image of a strand of hair on this page magnified to 200x and I can actually see the cuticle, so I'm wondering if I can get away with simply a 200x magnifying glass or even something like this 400x USB microscope http://www.amazon.com/Veho-VMS004DEL.../dp/B0025U0L8Y? Or do I REALLY need something like this polarizing microscope that is a whopping $275? http://cgi.ebay.com/POLARIZING-BRIGH...item5d222a3d9f It claims to go up to 1000x magnification, but I'm just weary of spending this much for something I don't really know is what we truly need. I read somewhere that the polarizing will make it easy to see the pattern of the cuticle.
She also wants to determine if the hair strand has been treated with a some type of chemical like a silicone based hair spray. Will the polarizing or stereo microscope help with this, or does she need some type chemical testing for this phase of the project?
Please help.
Thx