Which has a higher magnification: an electron microscope or a light microscope?

An electron microscope has a higher magnification than a light microscope. Here's why:

1. Light Microscope: A light microscope, also known as an optical microscope, uses light to pass through a sample to produce an image. The maximum magnification of a light microscope is typically about 2000x. However, due to the wavelength of light, the resolution limit is approximately 200nm, which means smaller details cannot be observed.

2. Electron Microscope: An electron microscope, on the other hand, uses a beam of electrons instead of light to create an image. Because the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a higher resolving power. This allows them to achieve much higher magnification, up to about 50 million times (50,000,000x), and see much smaller details.

So, in terms of magnification, an electron microscope is superior to a light microscope.