atomic force microscope

A microscope, capable of a magnification factor of 5 × 10⁶ and a resolution of 2 angstroms, that provides a map of the atoms on the surface of an object by measuring the attractive and repulsive forces arising between a tiny probe drawn along the surface and the atoms on that surface. Also called scanning force microscope.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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