The answer to both the questions this week lies in the nature of nuclear forces but the questions themselves are completely unrelated. So is the perspective from which they were asked and shows how the natural curiosity in children leads them to much deeper understanding of our world. Exactly the same manner through which inventions have been made over the centuries…

Atmospheric pressure is significant and all living beings on Earth have evolved to be able to counteract it by exerting equal internal pressure (through the fluids inside the body) that prevents them from being squashed. Why don’t the non-living materials get squashed?

— Aaditya Banerjee, Grade 7

We know that molecules attract each other strongly to make solid materials. When we break a solid, why don’t the molecules pull each other back (if we bring the broken bits close together) and rebuild the whole solid again? 

— Srishti, Grade 4