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You cannot see an atom visually with a microscope. They're smaller (quite a bit smaller, actually) than visual light waves. The instrument that's used to "see" atoms is called a scanning tunneling microscope, but it doesn't use visible light, it uses electrical potentials and the pictures are generated by computer processing of the data.

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16y ago

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What you mean by atom?

An atom is the basic unit of matter, consisting of a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons in orbitals. It is the smallest particle of an element that retains the chemical properties of that element. Atoms combine to form molecules and compounds and are the building blocks of everything in the universe.


Can you see molecules with a maginfy glass or a microscope?

No, molecules are too small to be seen with a magnifying glass or a regular light microscope. Specialized instruments like electron microscopes can visualize molecules by utilizing electron beams to probe their structure at very high magnifications.


1981 device to see an atom?

The Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) was invented in 1981 and is capable of generating atomic-scale images of surfaces. It works by moving a fine-tipped probe over a surface and detecting the flow of electrons between the probe and the atoms, allowing for visualization of individual atoms.


What would you see if you could examine a mineral with a powerful microscope that shows atoms and ions?

If you could examine a mineral with a powerful microscope that reveals atoms and ions, you would see the arrangement of individual atoms within the crystal lattice structure of the mineral. This would give you insight into the bonding between atoms, the types of elements present, and the overall crystal morphology of the mineral at a microscopic level.


Can you see an individual atom?

We can see atoms but only through very powerful scanning tunnel microscopes and we can only see their outer shell and not whats inside. With the aid of nanothechnology we can now even arrange atoms. But we are a long time of seeing atoms beyond their shell.

Related Questions

How do you see a atom?

You Need a really powerful Microscope


What do you need to see a virus?

a powerful electron microscope


Do you need a microscope to see an atom?

Yes, you do. You cannot see an atom with the naked eye; it is too small.


How can a person see DNA?

You can but you need a very powerful microscope


Why can you see extracted DNA with naked eye?

No, you need a very powerful microscope.


Is it possible to see an atom with a special type of microscope?

The atomic force microscope is an instrument.


Can you use a high school microscope to see an atom?

Not unless your highschool has an electron microscope


When did someone see an atom without a microscope?

Without a microscope? Never. Atoms are much to small to see with the naked eye...


What is something that scientist need a microscope to see?

what is something that scienists need a microscope to see


Why can atom not be seen with a powerful optical microscope?

there is and its called an scanning tunneling. ============== Sorry but this above answer is false there is NOT any instruments powerful enough to magnify atoms so that they can be seen. The model of an atom we have is a theory because we can't prove the way it looks. The Atom as we know it is just a theroy. Why would this be if we could see an atom. So again no there is NOT an instrument powerful enough to do this.


You can see an atom with?

No device can give the complete structure of an atom but you can get a minute idea about the look of an atom using an Electron Microscope!


Do you need a microscope to see a cell?

We need a microscope to see cells because they are too small to see without one.