Atom Bonds Chapter Introduction

What do atoms want? A full outer shell! What do atoms need? A full outer shell! 

Jump up. Gravity pulls you back down. But what force holds your hand to your wrist or a branch to a tree or a wrecking ball crane to its tower or an overhanging cliff?

Between atoms there is the electric force which is a lot stronger than gravity. 

Why do atoms want full outer shells? The quantum truth of the atomic world can be strange. However, we use models to understand the characteristics of different atoms and how they relate to each other. Using these models we can predict how atoms stick together, forming bonds.