National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

This activity focuses on scale and the importance of using scale bars, for this is the most common feature when presenting nanoscale structures or nanoscale science. Understanding size and scale is fundamental to learning about nanotechnology as size defines the nanoscale . Size is often divided into scales – macro, micro, nano and atomic.  Helping students understand these “worlds” is an important part of their science knowledge and will help them to understand the relatively small size of the nanoscale. It can be introduced into K–12 curriculum by discussing scientific measurement. This activity connects well to the introduction of atoms and cell structures as well as advancements in technology.