Atoms are not things from "summary" of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
The idea that atoms are not things may seem strange at first. After all, we are used to thinking of atoms as the building blocks of matter, the smallest units of stuff that everything is made of. But the truth is that atoms are not solid, permanent entities. They are more like clouds, consisting of tiny specks of matter held together by invisible forces. In fact, atoms are mostly empty space. If you were to magnify an atom to the size of a football stadium, the nucleus at its center would be no larger than a grain of rice. The rest of the atom is made up of electrons whizzing around at incredible speeds. These electrons are not like little planets orbiting a sun, as was once thought. Instead, they exist in a state of constant flux, appearing as particles in some situations and waves in others. This strange behavior is a consequence of quantum mechanics, the weird and wonderful theory that governs the behavior of the smallest things in the universe. According to quantum mechanics, atoms exist in a state of superposition, meaning they can be in multiple places or states at once. It is only when we measure an atom that it "collapses" into a single, definite state. This idea challenges our intuition about the nature of reality. It suggests that the world is not composed of solid, separate objects, but of interconnected, fluid entities that blur the boundaries between what is real and what is not. Atoms are not things in the traditional sense; they are dynamic, ever-changing entities that defy our attempts to pin them down. And perhaps this is what makes them so fascinating to study and understand.
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