Light microscopes do not have a higher resolving power than electron microscopes; in fact, electron microscopes have a much higher resolving power—about 250 times greater than light microscopes. This is because electron microscopes use electrons, which have a much shorter wavelength than the visible light used by light microscopes, allowing them to distinguish much smaller details, down to sub-nanometer levels, compared to the roughly 200 nm resolution limit of light microscopes.
Resolving Power Explanation
- Light microscopes are limited by the wavelength of visible light (~400-700 nm), which restricts their resolving power to about 200 nm.
- Electron microscopes use electron beams with wavelengths in the picometer range, allowing resolutions on the order of 0.001 µm (1 nm) or even smaller.
- Electron microscopes can magnify objects up to around 1,000,000 times, whereas light microscopes typically magnify up to around 1,500 times.
Therefore, the statement "light microscopes have a higher resolving power than electron microscopes" is false. Electron microscopes have a significantly higher resolving power.
