Question

A major breakthrough in the studies of cells came with the development of electron microscope. This is because ____________.

• A. Electron microscope is more powerful than the light microscope as it uses a beam of electrons which has wavelength much longer than that of photons.
• B. Resolution power of electron microscope is much higher than that of light microscope.
• C. Electron beam can pass through thick materials whereas light microscopy requires thin sections.
• D. Resolution power of electron microscope is $200-350nm$ as compared to $0.1-02nm$ for the light microscope.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Microscopes are used for studying cellular structures. They are used to magnify small objects. In electron microscopes, a high energy beam of electrons is concentrated through electromagnetic lenses. It can magnify very small details with high resolving power. The increased resolution results from the shorter wavelength of the electron beam, by exocytosis at the cell wall. Electron beams are used in electron microscope to illuminate the specimen and to create an image. Since the wavelength of electrons are 100,000 times shorter than visible light of the electron microscopes have greater resolving power. They can achieve a resolution of 0.2nm, and magnifications upto 2,000,000X. The shorter the wavelength, the highest is the resolution. Thus, electron microscope provide much higher resolution than light microscope.
So, the correct option is B.