When you touch a table with your finger the atoms of the surface of the table and the atoms on the tip of your finger repel each other. The result is your finger cannot pass through the table, and so you perceive the table as being solid. What is it that repels the atoms in the tip of your finger? Why doesn't it throw you across the room?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by poppyhackney

When you touch a table with your finger the atoms of the surface of the table and the atoms on the tip of your finger repel each other. The result is your finger cannot pass through the table, and so you perceive the table as being solid. What is it that repels the atoms in the tip of your finger? Why doesn't it throw you across the room?

---

Your fingers do not pass through the table because it is solid , essentially.

There is space between the molecules that make up both objects but it is too small to allow other molecules to pass through which in our state of matter makes it solid.

Particles of matter are charged either positive , negative or neutral (which is not charged)
The attraction of these charges is a binding force that helps keep the particles together and not fly apart.

You can easily break this bond sometimes with some material.
An electric current passing through water will break the bond of the hydrogen and oxygen that make up the water and you can observe this as tiny bubbles raising to the surface . The oxygen bubbles appear from the positive wire (or anode) and the hydrogen from the negative
(or cathode). (edit) This may be the opposite , I am not 100% on the + O2
And - H .