Microscope

Magnifying glass illustration

Tools of the Trade

Most of us have seen or used a magnifying glass or a microscope; this is how we magnify small things to see them better. However, to see things at the nanoscale, we need some very special instruments. In this section we will learn about electron microscopes, atomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes and how they differ from the optical light microscopes we are used to using in a classroom. This article from our friends at the NNCI gives a great intro to different kinds of microscopes: https://www.nnci.net/seeing-nanoworld

 


 
Light Microscope
Scanning Electron Microscope
Transmission Electron Microscopy
Atomic Force Microscope
Scanning Tunneling Microscope

illustration of light microscopy

 

Illustration of scanning electron microscopy

Illustration of transmission electron microscopy

Illustration of Atomic Force Microscopy
Illustration of Scanning Tunneling Microscope


  • This is a movie so small, you can only see it by magnifying it 100 million times! Each frame measures 45 x 25 nanometers! A Boy and His Atom was made using a scanning tunneling microscope. Watch the movie here

 

Other Resources

The Microscopic Scale

Illustration of a ribosome

Defining the Microscopic Scale

Within the scale of all things sits the microscopic scale, which can be thought of as the sizes of things that can be detected using microscopes.

Seeing the Nanoworld

Illustration of a microscope

Magnifying Objects

“If nanoscale objects are so small (1 to a few hundred nm) then how can you see them?” To see nanostructures it takes some pretty sophisticated instruments To answer that question we need to explore how we magnify objects.

 

Microscope World

Illustration of a molecule

See Many Amazing Photos Here

Microscope World showcases a collection of stunning photos ranging from rainbow-colored polymers to the complex structures inside of plants and minerals.

 

 

Innovation Workshop: Seeing small

 

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