It’s impossible to see atoms with the naked eye because they are incredibly small, much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light. In order for an object to be visible, its size must be at least half the wavelength of the light used to observe it. Since atoms are smaller than the wavelengths of visible light, they are not visible to the naked eye.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
Extremely Small Size:
Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of matter, but they are incredibly tiny, with radii less than 1 nanometer (1 nm = 10⁻⁹ m).
Wavelength of Light:
Visible light has wavelengths that are much larger than the size of an atom.
Vision Requirements:
To see an object, the light waves need to be able to bounce off the object and into our eyes. For this to happen, the object’s size must be at least half the wavelength of the light.
Therefore, atoms are too small to be visible:
Because atoms are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, they can’t interact with light in a way that allows them to be seen with the naked eye.