Answer
A transmission electron microscope (TEM) image of an organism differs from a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the same organism in two ways: first, the TEM image provides a good assessment of the internal structure and layers of the organism while the SEM image provides an excellent view of the surface area of that organism; second, the TEM image has a two-dimensional appearance, while the SEM image appears three-dimensional.
Work Step by Step
1. Both TEM and SEM use a beam of electrons instead of light to examine organisms.
2. Where they differ is that TEM electrons pass through the specimen, which in examining thin cell sections allows us to see the internal cell structures more clearly.
3. Contrariwise, SEM electrons are reflected from the specimen, which is useful for examining the surface of cellular organisms.
4. As TEM electrons have limited penetration, only thin layers can be examined, leading to the two-dimensional images which are generated.
5. By contrast, the electron beam in SEM knocks electrons from the specimen surface, and these electrons are transmitted and enhanced via an electron collector to produce images that appear three-dimensional.
