system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why can't solid objects move through each other?

Atoms are mostly empty space. Ernest Rutherford proved this with his famous gold foil experiment - there is a small, positively charged nucleus (which deflected the positively charged alpha particles), and negatively charged electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed energy levels. This explains why the alpha particles were able to move through the gold foil but also why some were deflected or reflected; most passed through the atoms' empty space, some were repelled by their nuclei, and other collided directly with the nuclei. So why is it that I can't move my hand directly though a solid surface? Surely the rate of collisions between the atoms in my hand and the atoms in the table would be so low given the ratio of empty space to space occupied by sub-atomic particles that my hand should pass through with minimal resistance, and if anything would get stuck 'inside' the object. 

Of course, states of matter are determined by intermolecular bonds, meaning that 'solid' in a scientific sense means that the molecules in an object are joined together strongly, usually with a regular arrangement. Since sub-atomic particles are not made up of molecules themselves (as they are the fundamental components of matter), why do they act as solids, and why can I not pass my hand through a solid object without resistance, given that the objects are in fact mostly empty space?
gpt
The electron clouds around the nuclei in bulk solids repel each other. 

Also, due to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, two identical electrons cannot occupy the same quantum state. By pushing two nuclei together, you overlap their electron clouds and therefore they reach a certain point where it is impossible to push them further to avoid violating this principle.

Extend this to a bulk solid and you should see why we can't push solid objects through one another.