Question: if atoms don't touch then if I touch the screen am I really touching it?

Luke Humphrey answered on 3 Jul 2024:

Great question. When you touch something, the contact you feel comes from the electromagnetic repulsion of the atoms in your body and the thing you’re touching. So there is a very small distance between your atoms and the screen’s atoms.

If you define “touching” as “being in the exact same location” then the answer would be no – but I think a better answer is to rethink what is meant by touching. Touching something really just means being close enough that your atoms can’t get any closer. So in that case you are touching the screen, it’s just that “touching” at the atomic level means something different to what we first imagine.

Hope this helps! 🙂

Another fun similar thing to think about is how atoms are mostly empty space between the nucleus and electrons. Which means the space any object takes up is mostly empty at the atomic level.