| 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 creates artefacts |
| dead or living specimen | dead specimen |
| small and portable | large installation |
Differences Between Light and Electron Microscopes
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Read the text and highlight anything you think is important. When you go on, the text is hidden and you answer from memory.
Specification: OCR Biology A (H020), AS-level, 2.1.1 Cell structure. Topic: Components of Living Systems.
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