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Curiously, this most common of atomic parts has only a fuzzy estimate of size.
Linus Pauling says "The radius of the electron has not been determined exactly, but it is known to be less than 1 X 10-13 cm".
So roughly the electron is 1/1000 the size of a proton. Maybe. But a cooler answer is-- physicists are annoyed by the question. A good case can be made for other sizes, even huge sizes....because the properties of the electron OTHER than it's size are the ONLY important ones. In fact the size of atomic pieces smaller than the nucleus usually does not matter at all....and may in fact have no meaning. After all, how do you propose to measure these guys?
The electron is known to be a point particle down to a limit of 10^-18m. It, as far as we know does not have a classical "size".
The size of an electron microscope can vary, but typically they are large machines that can be several meters in length and height. They require a dedicated space with proper ventilation, power supply, and safety measures due to the high voltages and vacuums involved in operating them.
Because an electron is extremely small, there is no way of measuring its size directly. It has no known substructure, and it is defined or assumed to be a point particle with point charge and no spatial extent.
For everyday objects that can be measured with a ruler, a size can be stated accurately and unambiguously, but at the extremely tiny scale of subatomic particles, the very concept of size can become problematical and difficult to define. The question "how big" becomes entangled with considerations of how we intend to estimate the size when no direct measurement is possible. The various assumptions we make in deriving different size estimates can -- and do -- lead to a surprisingly wide range of results.
A number of size estimates for the electron have been derived from indirect evidence and theoretical models. These estimates extend over a rather wide range of values. The book "The Enigmatic Electron" by Malcolm H. MacGregor (Kluwer, 1992) gives these values for the electron's radius:
1. R(E) (point-like charge radius)-------------------<1 x 10-16 cm
2. R(0) (classical radius)--------------------------2.82 x 10-13 cm
3. R(C) (Compton sized electron)------------------3.86 x 10-11 cm
4. R(E) Effective (R(E) = 2/5 RC)-------------------1.5 x 10-11 cm
5. R(E) Effective - Corr (R(E) = XX R(C)-------------1.3 x 10-11 cm
6. R(H) (based on Compton radius)--------------------4 x 10-12 cm
7. R(H) (based on classical radius) -----------------4.09 x 10-12 cm
8. R(H) QM-Corrected (R(H) = (sqrt of 3)*R(C))----6.69 x 10-11 cm
9. Scattering results before 1992 imply--------------< 1 x 10-16 cm
10. Scattering results very recently imply------------< 1 x 10-18 cm
Results of an experiment published in 1988 give an upper limit for the electron's radius of 10-22 meters (Dehmelt, H. (1988). "A Single Atomic Particle Forever Floating at Rest in Free Space: New Value for Electron Radius". Physica Scripta T22: 102-10.)
We can, however, measure the mass of the electron with considerable precision; it is known to be 9.109383 x 10-28 gram. A proton weighs 1836 times as much.
Extremely small. They are so small, scientists don't even know where they are. They hover somewhere in the electron cloud, which is the place where they are supposed to be.
The mass is 9.10938188 * 10^-31 kilograms.
Size can vary from a small scanning electron microscopes (SEM), about the size of a tower PC case that sits on a table top, to a million volt transmission electron microscopes (TEM) that is several stories tall.
minus 260.000xy= smaller an air waves ( unable to see by the human eye
An electron is about .03 meters small. An electron is about .03 meters small.
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What type of microscope would be best to use to look at different cells or organelles?
scanning electron microscope
What type of organism requires ther use of an electron microscope for visualization?
Because of their very small size Viruses can only be seen via an electron microscope.
What came first electron microscope or light microscope?
The light microscope came first, dating back to the 17th century. The electron microscope was developed in the 20th century, with the first electron microscope built in the 1930s.
Which type of microscope can magnify objects up to a million times?
An electron microscope is capable of magnifying objects up to a million times. This type of microscope uses a beam of accelerated electrons to view specimens at a much higher resolution compared to light microscopes.
Which microscope should be ued for a virus is 50nm in size and why?
A virus of 50nm would be too small to see unless an electron microscope was used because it has greater resolving power and a resolution up to .1nm. A microscope using compound light as the means of illumination could not resolve better than approx. 200nms.
A virus is 50 nanometers in size which of microscope should be used to view it?
An electron microscope would be the most suitable to view a virus that is 50 nanometers in size. The resolution of an electron microscope is much higher than a light microscope, allowing for visualization of smaller structures like viruses.
What is an electron-microscope?
An electron microscope is a device to be able to see items that are smaller in size than the "sampling rate of light" is in physical size. (The length of a wave of light).
What type of microscope would be best to use to look at different cells or organelles?
scanning electron microscope
What type of organism requires ther use of an electron microscope for visualization?
Because of their very small size Viruses can only be seen via an electron microscope.
A virus is 50 nm in size so would you recommend using a stereo compound light microscope or an electron microscope to see it?
Viruses can only be seen with electron microscopes
What is a microscope in science?
There is a compound light microscope, an scannignn electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope.
What is the principal of the electron microscope?
what is the principal of electron microscope
What are the various KINDS of a microscope?
Stereomicroscope, Compound Microscope, Phase-contrast microscope, electron microscope, Scanning-electron microscope, Transmission electron microscope, Confocal-scanning microscope. THESE ARE JUST SOME. :)
What types of microscopes?
The four main types of microscopes are the Light Microscope, Electron Microscope, the Transition electron microscope and Scanning electron microscope.
The nucleus of a cell can be viewed through what kind of microscope?
The nucleus of a cell can be viewed through a light microscope or an electron microscope. The electron microscope provides higher resolution and magnification compared to a light microscope.
What came first electron microscope or light microscope?
The light microscope came first, dating back to the 17th century. The electron microscope was developed in the 20th century, with the first electron microscope built in the 1930s.
What type of microscope do you need to see a ribosome?
You would need an electron microscope to see a ribosome, as they are very small structures, typically around 20-30 nanometers in size, which are below the resolution limit of a light microscope. Electron microscopes use a beam of electrons instead of light to achieve much higher resolution.
