Question

When you push down on a block resting on a table, block atoms and table atoms that are in contact with one another

A. move closer to one another

B. break their bonds with one another

C. move past each other

D. maintain their positions

Answer 1

Option D. maintain their positions.

Pressure does not modify the relative position of the atoms in solid matter. The atoms are kept in position by the atomic and molecular bonds  whose length is a feature of every pair of atoms.

For example, all the bonds of C-C and C-H in the wood will have the same bond length