system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Can atoms touch?
gpt
Define "touch".

Ordinarily, atoms repel one another due to the electrons having similar charges, but atoms can sometimes bond together through their electrons as well, sharing (certain) electrons with one another, which could be thought of as "touching" since the two atoms are basically joined at the shared electrons.

Of course, you can also fire a nucleus at an atom at very high levels of energy in order to break it apart and cause a nuclear reaction, such as a nuclear explosion.