Each year we show hundreds of students and visitors magnified images of common objects in our SEM. the best samples to use in SEM demonstrations for children are those which have detail that can just barely be seen with the naked eye or with a light microscope. Ideally, the sample would be something with which the child is already familiar, and one which can be explored at several different magnifications.

The simplest specimen is a penny attached to a stub by carbon or silver dag. Mount the coin such that the back side, showing the Lincoln Memorial, faces upward As shown in Figure 1, the statue of Lincoln inside the memorial can be seen with the naked eye.