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Quantum Tunneling: Atoms Rarely Pass Through Barriers

8/26/2025

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Story summary
  • Atoms are unable to pass through walls due to electrostatic repulsion and the Pauli exclusion principle.
  • Electrons create a "probability cloud" around the nucleus, generating a negative charge that repels other atoms.
  • Quantum tunneling enables particles to occasionally pass through barriers, but the likelihood for a person is nearly zero.
  • Experts concur that while theoretically possible, the probability is extremely low.