A group of techniques include Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM), Chemical Force Microscopy (CFM), Lateral Force Microscopy (LFM) and Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM). The surface can imaged at high (and in some cases atomic) resolution by keeping an atomically sharp tip in close, but not direct, contact with the surface back and forth across it. The measurement of the strength of the interaction between the tip and the surface is combined with the measurement of the relative position of the tip to produce an image of interaction strength as a function of position which (depending on the particular technique) represents surface topography or chemistry.