CAN WE REMOVE OR DECREASE SPACES BETWEEN ATOMS OR MOLECULES?

ARLINGTON, Texas, Aug. 3 -- The University of Texas at Arlington issued the following news release:

By:Robin Macaluso, Associate Professor of Chemistry,University of Texas at Arlington, forThe Conversation

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,...