BRAINCAKEDifferences Between Light and Electron Microscopes
| light microscope | electron microscope |
| resolving power 200nm | resolving power 0.5nm (TEM), 3-10nm (SEM) |
| specimen can be stained | black and white images |
| magnification up to x2000 | magnification up to x500,000 |
| inexpensive and easy to operate | expensive to buy and operate |
| sample preparation simple and does not distort specimen | sample preparation complex and crates artefacts |
| dead or living specimen | dead specimen |
| small and portable | large installation |
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Key terms in this lesson
- magnification
- How many times larger an image is than the actual size of the object.
More in Components of Living Systems
- Electron Microscopy
- Transmission Electron Microscope
- Scanning Electron Microscope
- Sample Preparation for Electron Microscopes
- Scientific Drawings
- Artefacts
- Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy
- Fluorescent Tags
All 21 lessons in Components of Living Systems · All OCR AS-level Biology topics