The force that keeps electrons from crashing into protons and prevents atoms from breaking apart is known as the electromagnetic force or the electrostatic force. This force arises from the interaction between electrically charged particles.
In an atom, the proton carries a positive charge, while the electron carries a negative charge. According to Coulomb's law, opposite charges attract each other. The attractive electromagnetic force between the positively charged proton and negatively charged electron keeps them bound together within the atom.
The electromagnetic force acts over a distance, and as the electron gets closer to the proton, the force of attraction increases. However, there is also a repulsive force between like charges. As the electron moves closer to the proton, the repulsive force between the negatively charged electron and the positively charged proton increases.
At a certain point, the attractive and repulsive forces balance each other, resulting in a stable equilibrium distance between the electron and the proton. This distance is determined by the specific energy level or orbital in which the electron is located.
If, for some reason, the electron were to gain enough energy to overcome the attractive force, it could escape from the atom, resulting in an ionized atom. Similarly, if external forces were to compress the atom, the repulsive forces between the electrons would become significant, causing the atom to resist further compression.
In summary, it is the interplay between the attractive electromagnetic force and the repulsive forces that arise due to the charges of the particles involved that keeps electrons from crashing into protons and holds atoms together.