If atoms are 99,9% emptiness, how can they keep things together ? Like, if my skin is 99,9% emptiness, why is it able to keep blood and organs in it ?

Question

If atoms are 99,9% emptiness, how can they keep things together ? Like, if my skin is 99,9% emptiness, why is it able to keep blood and organs in it ?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The [electromagnetic force](https://landgreen.github.io/physics/notes/electromagnetism/electrostatics/index.html) allows chemical bonds to form. These bonds give solid matter its rigid structure.

At the atomic scale, particles can’t pass through each other primarily because of a quantum mechanical effect called the [Pauli exclusion principle ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_exclusion_principle). The Pauli exclusion principle is mostly responsible for keeping particles, like electrons, separate.