Which of the following statements best explains how a modern transmission electron microscope (TEM) can achieve a resolution of about 2.0 nanometers, whereas a standard light microscope has a maximum resolution of about 200 nanometers?
A) TEMs utilize much higher quality glass lenses than those found in light microscopes.
B) Staining with atoms of heavy metal provides higher contrast that the colored dyes used in light microscopy.
C) Specimens visualized by TEM are much thicker than those observed by light microscopy.
D) The wavelengths of electron beams are much shorter than the wavelengths of visible light.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The resolution of a microscope is fundamentally limited by the wavelength of the illumination used; shorter wavelengths can resolve smaller details. Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) use electron beams with wavelengths much shorter than the visible light used in light microscopes, allowing TEMs to achieve much higher resolutions.

Which of the Following Statements Best Explains How a Modern