• 3-5: 3A/E2. Technology enables scientists and others to observe things that are too small or too far away to be seen otherwise and to study the motion of objects that are moving very rapidly or are hardly moving at all.

• 6-8: 11D/M3. Natural phenomena often involve sizes, durations, and speeds that are extremely small or extremely large. These phenomena may be difficult to appreciate because they involve magnitudes far outside human experience.

Interactively explore various specimens as they appear under a scanning electron microscope (SEM).  SEM can produce very high-resolution photos of details as small as 1-5 nanometers. Students can adjust the focus, brightness, and contrast, and choose from a cockroach, pollen grain, diatom, a gecko foot, a jellyfish, and more. Each successive image doubles the magnitude of the magnification.

• Physical Sciences K-8 Scale, Order of Magnitude, and Estimation Unit
• Physics First Scale, Order of Magnitude, and Estimation Unit
• Conceptual Physics Scale, Order of Magnitude, and Estimation Unit
• Algebra-Based Physics Scale, Order of Magnitude, and Estimation Unit
• AP/Calculus-Based Physics Scale, Order of Magnitude, and Estimation Unit

What do scientists see under a scanning electron microscope (SEM)?  Find out first-hand in this award-winning Java applet.  Students can choose from 14 specimens, including a cockroach, jellyfish, gecko foot, pollen grain, and more.  They will first adjust the focus, contrast, and brightness of the specimen to optimize its appearance.  Then they control a slider to increase the magnification in steps.....up to 10,000 times.  This activity would work well in the computer lab or in a classroom digital projection system.

• Physical Sciences K-8 Microscopy and Optical Devices Unit
• Physics First Microscopy and Optical Devices Unit
• Conceptual Physics Microscopy and Optical Devices Unit
• Algebra-Based Physics Microscopy and Optical Devices Unit
• AP/Calculus-Based Physics Microscopy and Optical Devices Unit

Interactively explore various specimens as they appear under a scanning electron microscope.  SEM can produce very high-resolution photos of details as small as 1-5 nanometers. Students can adjust the focus, brightness, and contrast, and choose from a cockroach, pollen grain, diatom, a gecko foot, a jellyfish, and more. Each successive image doubles the magnitude of the magnification.

• Physical Sciences K-8 Microscopy: Observing at the Nanoscale Unit
• Physics First Microscopy: Observing at the Nanoscale Unit
• Conceptual Physics Microscopy: Observing at the Nanoscale Unit
• Algebra-Based Physics Microscopy: Observing at the Nanoscale Unit
• AP/Calculus-Based Physics Microscopy: Observing at the Nanoscale Unit