Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules? |
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Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules? – Paras, age 15, Uttarakhand, India
Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules? – Paras, age 15, Uttarakhand, India
Have you ever seen a beautiful bunch of flowers packed tightly into a vase?
A florist has to wiggle and arrange them perfectly so there are no empty holes.
There are times when nature acts like a florist. Nature takes tiny building blocks called atoms and molecules and packs them together to fill up space.
In gases, such as air, atoms and molecules are separated from each other by lots of space. In solids, such as a rock or a metal spoon, atoms are more closely packed. And in liquids, distances between atoms tend to fall somewhere in between. Cooling steam until it condenses into water, or freezing water until it becomes ice, decreases the space between its molecules.
It’s impossible to completely remove all the space between atoms and molecules. To understand why, picture atoms and molecules as spherical balls. Packing balls into a box leaves empty gaps between them, and no amount of moving the balls around will get rid of those gaps. But natural forces such as heat or pressure can reduce the space between atoms and molecules that make up a particular........