Atomic force microscope

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/atomic-force-microscope

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who invented Atomic force microscope?1986
2. What is the inventors?Gerd Binnig, Calvin Quate, and Christoph Gerber
3. What is the primary scientific field?Nanotechnology, surface science, materials science, biophysics
4. How does the AFM feel the surface?The tip sits on a flexible arm called a cantilever. When the tip touches the surface, tiny forces make the arm bend, and a laser beam watches the bend to map the shape.
5. Why can the AFM look at things that other microscopes can’t?It doesn’t need light or electricity to see. It works on any surface—metal, plastic, even living cells—inside air, water, or vacuum.

Nanoscale: The realm of dimensions ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers, where atomic and molecular interactions dominate.
Cantilever: A micro-fabricated beam with a sharp tip, acting as the force sensor in an AFM.
Topography: The detailed description of a surface's physical features and shape, including its roughness and texture.