The atoms of a solid are strongly attracted to each other. Solids keep their shape because of these strong attractions. The atoms vibrate but do not move past each other.

Each atom in the ideal crystalline solid experiences the same potential due to the other atoms in the material. The binding energy of the atom in the solid is the depth of the potential well at its ...

because helium atoms are lighter than the atoms in air. So a helium balloon floats! Water has a higher density than air. The particles in a solid are tightly packed, so a lot of particles fit into ...

Solid-state clock Illustration of how thorium atoms are vaporized (bottom) and then deposited in a thin film on the substrate’s surface (middle). This film could form the basis for a nuclear clock ...