Passing through an object?

Question

Everything is made up of atoms. Compared to the size of an atom the space between the electrons, protons and neutrons are huge distances, which gives an atom a lot of space within its own physical structure. Each atom has space between it, as atoms do not touch each other no matter what the material they represent, be it water, a wall, or a rock.

Why, then, with so much space between atoms and space within atoms, am I unable to simply walk through a wall, or anything else, for that matter?

Answer 1

I can only assume that you are thinking about Rutherford's experiment when you are talking about atoms being empty and not touching each other.

Well, empty is what the world looks like when you are an alpha particle going at 2x10^7m/s. That's 20000km/s. Almost 2000 times escape velocity from Earth. At that speed you could go to Mars in less than an hour.

Wow... I wonder what would happen to a wall if YOU were to go at it at that speed? Do you think there would be a wall in the world that could stop you? I don't think so. Especially not since you would have a kinetic energy comparable to the energy in a thermonuclear explosion.

In reality, of course, atoms are far from empty. Electronic orbitals between the nuclei are fairly space filling and the electrostatic forces by which they act on each other are enormous. So enormous, indeed, that chemical reactions can't do more than barely scratch the surface of any atoms heavier than hydrogen. You need nuclear artillery to go more than skin deep in the atomic world.

In other words: Rutherford's model is true only for high energy particles. For ordinary matter it is completely false. Which solves your puzzle by completely eliminating its premise.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Well, atoms are not like billiard balls with well defined surfaces. Atoms in a solid are bonded to each other, so can be said to "touch". A net is mostly space too, but you cannot pass through it either since the different parts of it are likewise strongly bonded to each other.

Answer 3

Because of the electromagnetic forces which hold the atoms together.

Answer 4

density...