ineed help! why did robert hooke's cork cells appear to be empty?
Check this site.
http://fig.cox.miami.edu/~cmallery/150/unity/cell.text.htm
Robert Hooke's cork cells appeared to be empty because he was not able to observe the living components of the cells. To understand why this is the case, it's important to know the experimental setup and limitations of his observations.
Here's how you can understand why Robert Hooke's cork cells appeared to be empty:
1. Experimental Setup:
Robert Hooke observed cork cells using a microscope. He first took a thin slice of cork and placed it under the microscope's lens. He then observed the cork cells by looking at them through the microscope.
2. Limited Magnification:
The microscopes used during Robert Hooke's time had limited magnification capabilities compared to modern microscopes. Therefore, he was only able to observe the outer structures or cell walls of the cork cells.
3. Structure of Cork Cells:
Cork is a type of tissue derived from the bark of the cork oak tree. Cork cells are dead cells that have undergone a unique process called suberization, which involves depositing a thick layer of waxy substance called suberin in their cell walls. This process gives cork its unique properties, such as resistance to moisture, temperature, and decay.
4. Lack of Living Components:
As cork cells are dead at maturity, they lack living components such as cytoplasm, nucleus, and other organelles typically found in living plant cells. Hence, when Hooke observed the cork cells, he could only see the empty cell walls without any visible living components.
In conclusion, the cork cells appeared empty to Robert Hooke because he was only able to observe the cell walls using the microscope of his time, which had limited magnification capabilities. Additionally, since cork cells are dead, they lack the living components commonly found in living plant cells.