Quarky Science · Episode 15

See the Invisible: Electron Microscopes

Why can not the best light microscope show an atom?

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Your turn!

Question 1 of 2

Why can light microscopes not show an atom?

The story

Quarky zooms in with a light microscope and everything turns into a blur. Light waves are just too chunky to trace something as tiny as an atom, like trying to feel a grain of sand with a giant mitten. So scientists swap light for electrons, whose waves are thousands of times smaller. Suddenly viruses, crystals and even rows of atoms snap into view.

What you'll learn

  • Microscopes cannot see things smaller than their wave
  • Visible light waves are far bigger than an atom
  • Electrons act like waves too, but much smaller ones
  • Electron microscopes reveal viruses and atom patterns
  • Wave size sets the limit of what we can see
Quarky🌈 Light & Color🧪 Experiments⚛️ Quantum Physics

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