AFM image, magnified(Inset shows vertical magnification)
Matterhorn, demagnified(Original image in upper panel)
Text and graphics excerpted from Figure 4 of a recent paper on a new form of nanoscale lithography:
AFM scan of the replica of the Matterhorn written into the molecular glass
(3D data source: geodata © swisstopo).
The maximum steepness of slopes is an important parameter in scanning probe lithography. It would be easy to misread the original images.
I’m reminded of pleas for realism by the Flat Venus Society…
Maat Mons is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus, with the vertical scale multiplied by 22.5.
(from Wikipedia, with the rescaled right-hand panel added for entertainment value)
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We have the same problem in my field, undersea acoustics. Typical acoustic propagation distances are much larger than typical depths, so you end up with plots like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SCM4_fig11.jpg
The angle of the first part looks like 45 degrees, but is much closer to 5 degrees. It can really mess with your intuition until you get used to it.