Every day, we touch countless objects—tables, smartphones, doors, and might even other people’s skin. From a physics perspective, however, an intriguing question arises: do we truly touch anything, or is touch merely an illusion? On the scale visible to the human eye, touch feels immediate and undeniable. Yet, when examined at the atomic scale, this familiar experience takes on a very different meaning.

Everything around us is made of atoms, and atoms themselves are mostly empty space [1]. At the centre of each atom lies a tiny, dense nucleus, surrounded by electrons that form a probabilistic cloud rather than fixed orbits [2]. The nucleus occupies only a minute fraction of the atom’s total volume, meaning that most of what we perceive as solid matter is actually empty space. When our fingers appear to “touch” a surface, the atoms in our skin never come into direct contact with the atoms of the object. Instead, the electrons on the surface of our fingers repel the electrons on the surface of the object due to electromagnetic forces [3]. This electromagnetic repulsion is what produces the sensation we interpret as touch.

The physical properties of materials—such as hardness or softness—depend on the arrangement of atoms and how interatomic forces respond to applied pressure [4]. A wall feels rigid because its atoms are tightly bound in a lattice, generating strong repulsive forces when compressed. A mattress, on the other hand, feels soft because its structure allows atoms and molecules to rearrange slightly, absorbing some of the applied force [5]. This same principle explains why our hands cannot pass through a table, even though atoms are mostly empty space. The electromagnetic repulsion between electrons, combined with quantum mechanical effects, prevents atoms from occupying the same region of space [3,6]. One key quantum principle involved is the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two electrons can share the same quantum state, further reinforcing the apparent solidity of matter [7].

In conclusion, according to laws of physics, we never truly touch anything. What we perceive as touch is the result of fundamental forces acting at the atomic and subatomic levels. Beneath ordinary everyday experiences lies a fascinating and counterintuitive reality governed by the laws of physics.

References

1. Feynman, R. P., Leighton, R. B., & Sands, M. (2011). The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. 1. Basic Books.
2. Eisberg, R., & Resnick, R. (1985). Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles. Wiley.
3. Griffiths, D. J. (2017). Introduction to Electrodynamics (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
4. Halliday, D., Resnick, R., & Walker, J. (2014). Fundamentals of Physics (10th ed.). Wiley.
5. Tipler, P. A., & Mosca, G. (2008). Physics for Scientists and Engineers (6th ed.). W. H. Freeman.
6. Serway, R. A., & Jewett, J. W. (2018). Physics for Scientists and Engineers (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
7. Griffiths, D. J., & Schroeter, D. F. (2018). Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Author: Dr. Emma Ziezie Mohd Tarmizi

            Physics Unit, ASPutra

Date of Input: 01/02/2026 | Updated: 09/02/2026 | emma