Question

Solids and liquids resist being compressed. They are not totally incompressible, but it takes large forces to compress them even slightly. If it is true that matter consists of atoms, what can you infer about the microscopic nature of solids and liquids from their incompressibility?

Short answer

Atoms in Solids and Liquids are present close to each other and thus they need huge amount of force to be compressed.

Step-by-step solution

Given Information 

Solids and Liquids are almost incompressible compared to other materials. This is mainly because of the compact form of the atoms in Solids and Liquids.

Inference about the microscopic nature of solids and liquids from their incompressibility 

It can be inferred that, the atoms in the solids and liquids are already in a compressed state and thus on provided an amount of pressure further compression takes place least. As a result, requirement of large amount of force to compress liquids and solids is needed proving that atoms in such states are near to each other.