See the Invisible: Electron Microscopes
Why can not the best light microscope show an atom?
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Question 1 of 2Why 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
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