Do things actually touch?

Question

If two objects come into contact with one another, do they actually touch, or do they repel each other without contact being made. Obviously we feel ourselves touching objects, but on a nano scale, do our atoms meet, or just 'bounce off'?

Answer 1

Really a great question.

No, at the atomic level, things do not touch (normally). What stops things from going through other things are the electro-magnetic repulsion forces coming from the electrons of the atoms.

There are exceptions, like in a collider, where we can co-mingle electrons so that atoms momentarily share them. But those are special cases and, even here, the nucleii and such are not actually touching. They are simply sharing, with space (reeeealy small space) in between the atomic parts.

We feel like we are touching because our senses are unable to feel the subatomic spaces; so we have no sensation of spaces that small. So, in effect, you are right, "our atoms...just bounce off" if by that, you mean they repell each other.

Answer 2

It's something I've wondered for more than 30 years (yeah - that's what I'm like!). It all depends what you mean by 'touch'. In the everday sense , yes they do but at the atomic/molecular level you can't use everyday words to describe what goes on. Atoms and molecules come close enough together to repel each other which is the force we perceive when we push two things together.

Put very simply the atoms/molecules consist of positively charged nuclei (varying combinations of protons and neutrons) surrounded by a 'cloud' of negatively charged electrons and its is the cloud of one atom/molecule which repels the 'cloud' of another, the repulsive force increasing as the distance between the 'clouds' decreases.

Does this make sense?

Answer 3

At short range, matter repels because of repulsions between the outer electrons - Born repulsion. However, at slightly greater distances the (usually) attractive van ver Waals force becomes dominant meaning that the objects attract even though they may not be "touching". This force can be quite strong and it has been argued that this is the mechanism used by which geckos can adhere to walls and ceilings. It is certainly possible for small particles to adhere with sufficient energy for them to be very difficult to separate even if they aren't actually bonded. However, other forces such as electrostatic and steric interactions can also be important to the exact answer depends on the surface chemistry of the two objects. This all assumes no chemical reaction and even if no covalent bond is formed could some sort of polar interaction be considered to be sufficient bond to result in actual "touching"? As you might gather, it is a bit of a grey area.

Answer 4

Not in the classic sense of touch. When the atoms of matter approach one another, the electrons from the shells of each repel each other. Occasionally they approach with enough energy (and with the proper configuration) to form a bond, where more than one atom share electrons. Still, there is never any touching of the nuclei, except in very high energy situations, like in colliders (cyclotrons).

Answer 5

Not in the sense that we use the phrase in everyday life. What we mean by touching is that outer electrons of different atoms come close enough so that forces of repulsion become apparent. In other words when we sit on the chair we don't actually touch it. Rather we "float" on vacuum thanks to electric forces that counter balance our weight.

The same applies when we lift an object holding it from the sides. We don't actually touch it but we press hard enough so that forces of friction (which is also due to electromagnetic interaction) appear and enable us to lift it.

If, on the other hand we try to lift it "touching" it from underneath, then electric forces of repulsion again counter balance its weight (no friction there!).

If we come to think that an atom isn't something solid, then the above description does make sense. Imagine for instance two solar systems They do occupy space but they do not fill it. So although it is possible for them to come close enough so that forces (of gravitation) appear between them we can't really say that they "touch" each other.

Answer 6

technically... No! The electrons of the two objects repel one another. Since this is at such a small scale, we touch and feel and interact with objects the way we do.

Answer 7

my boyfriend did physics at A level an he gave me this HUGE lecture (i didnt appreciate it at the time but maybe it will score me ten points on here if not just two...so this is from memory...so bear with me...) right we were holding hands and i turned round and said something dead soppy like "it feels nice to hold hands like this" (or something of the same effect and imagine my suprise wen he said "we never touch, ever, not even when were (bleep) becuase...."

and i think it went something like this...

our body is covered in litle atoms that repel each other that act like a magnet working the wrong way... so wen you push against something it will repel...we feel the force of the repelling on our body but we dont see it as its sooooooooooooooo soooooooooooo very small that you have to us a really high powered magnifying thingy to see it...

so no, we never really touch any thing at all...

so you are right....

sorry...i tried to listen to him i really did!!!

x

Answer 8

you may take income of their magnetic field (some thing that has mass has a magnetic field, gravity is a effect of this style of field), yet you would want a valuable source of electricity concentrated specially aspects, and it would also count on the article. Sorry if the answer is only too medical, i'm fantastically constructive that there is someone obtainable that has which means, he/she's only too afraid to bare it without being stoned through a witch-searching mob.

Answer 9

Try a custard pie in the face. Did your atoms bounce off?

Answer 10

Atoms never 'touch' unless they are fired at each other at near-light speeds in atom smashers which require immense amounts of energy to do so.