32) True. The insides of atoms are almost entirely filled with empty space. Only around one millionth of the space inside an atom contains any mass and this is almost entirely concentrated in the nucleus.

The nucleus is surrounded by electrons moving rapidly in a cloud-like formation. When two objects are brought together the electrostatic forces from the two sets of electron clouds repel each other because they have the same charge. In reality, when a person touches a solid object they feel the force field from the electron clouds. If this force field could be turned off it’s conceivable that a person could push his or her hand through an otherwise solid object like a wall.

Misconceptions about solid objects being filled with mass arise partly from obsolete models of the atom. The Dalton model, originating in the early 1800's, represented atoms as small solid spheres. Although later models have replaced our picture of what an atom looks like, the common misconception that it is a solid object has not changed. It is almost impossible for humans to comprehend emptiness and yet that is mostly what an atom consists of.