Images of individual atoms can be obtained via scanning-probe microscopes. These experimental techniques are leading to breakthroughs in the developement of new materials and are enhancing our understanding of atomic-scale phenomena. They all involve a probe tip terminated in on or just a few atoms. The interaction between the tip and a sample surface is measured as the tip moves (scans) relative to the surface. A property such as electric current or interatomic force is used to measure the strength of the tip-sureface interaction. Examples include Sanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The activity described on the Student Side of this insert uses the magnetic interactions between a flexible-sheet refrigerator magnet and a probe tip cut from the same magnet as a macroscopic analog of scanning probe microscopies.
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Lorenz et al. (1997) studied this question.