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Pollen Sample

| Mon, Apr 29, 2019, 8:33 PM



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Pollen_Microscope
Pollen sample with structure similar to dandelion seeds (fluffy attachments so can drift on wind).
Pollen_Flower_Picture
Location by Southwest corner of Page House on Caltech Campus were pollen sample was obtained at 8 PM on 4/29/2019 by brushing anthers and collecting pollen that fell off.

According to foldscope.com FAQ’s, the magnification of the foldscope is 140x. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the main part of the pollen in the original photograph are 5mm and 2mm. Thus the actual dimensions of the pollen are 26 um by 14 um.

The pollen sample appears to have structures similar to dandelion seeds (fluffy attachments so can drift on wind). How much do these structures increase the distance pollen grains are able to travel?

One possible way to calculate the change in distance distance the pollen grains can travel is to create a computer simulation with a pollen with and without the structures and simulate the difference in distances the pollen travels based on wind speed.

#caltechbi1



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Type of Sample
unknown
Foldscope Lens Magnification
140x

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