Eli5 why is that an atom is 99,6 % empty space ?

Question

Eli5 why is that an atom is 99,6 % empty space ?

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Answer 1

One way to think about atoms is like tiny repelling magnets with a magnetic field much larger than the actual magnet. So when another magnet gets close these to push eachother to maintain their distance. Only by exerting a great force on them (like in a neutron star or a black hole) will these two tiny magnets actually make contact.

This is the electromagnetic force field around the atoms core and its much much larger than the core. Atoms are somewhere around 99.9999% empty due to this.