What is tunneling?

Tunneling is when something moves through a wall, but not by breaking it.

Imagine you're playing with marbles on a table. There's a wall between you and your friend, who’s sitting on the other side. Normally, the marbles can't cross the wall. But sometimes, if they get really close to the wall, almost like they’re hugging it, they might just pop through without even touching the other side. It's like they found a secret tunnel that only works when they're extra sneaky and close.

Think of the wall as something that stops things from moving freely, like a door that’s locked. But if you push really hard or get super close, almost touching it, sometimes you can go through without even knocking it over.

This is what happens with tiny particles, like electrons in science. They act like marbles, and the wall is something that stops them, but they still find a way through when they're extra sneaky and close. Tunneling is when something moves through a wall, but not by breaking it.

Imagine you're playing with marbles on a table. There's a wall between you and your friend, who’s sitting on the other side. Normally, the marbles can't cross the wall. But sometimes, if they get really close to the wall, almost like they’re hugging it, they might just pop through without even touching the other side. It's like they found a secret tunnel that only works when they're extra sneaky and close.