Electrical forces hold every material together. The attraction or repulsion between the constituent atoms balances to give the material its form. For example, a piece of stone takes a solid form because the atoms pack densely. Generally, all solids pack about four atoms in a nanometer or 100 million atoms in an inch! Liquids pack about one atom per nanometer and gases pack fewer than two atoms in ten nanometers.
Now, consider a pebble falling into a pond. As the pebble approaches the surface of the water, the atoms at the edge of the pebble get too close to the water molecules and repel them away. The repulsion forces the water atoms to move away from the pebble and make way. As the water molecules begin making way, they slam against their neighbors and force them to move further away. The process sets in a wave on the water surface because the water molecules behave like a spring, trying to balance the repulsive and attractive electrical forces.
Atoms themselves are made up of charges. Imagine an atom as a cotton candy nicely spun around a chocolate ball. The chocolate ball is the heavy and positively charged nucleus. The cotton candy is the negatively charged electron cloud. When another atom presses against it, the electron clouds or cotton candies distort their shapes. This results in a net electrical force that either brings them closer or repel away. Attraction results in friction and wear-and-tear. Repulsion leads to elasticity, fatigue, and breaking. Thus, any mechanical force is electrical in its origin.
Author: Dr. Gururaj Naik.
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