How is an electron microscope better than a light microscope?
A traditional light microscope uses visible light to resolve an image. The wavelength of visible light ranges from about 400-700 nanometers. These wavelengths give the light microscope physical limitations of 500-1000 times magnification and 200 nanometer resolution. When accelerated through a voltage, electrons can have a wavelength on the order of 0.1 nanometers. This allows much higher resolution and magnification. The focal depth is also much larger.
