Does the vibrations of molecules and atoms microscopically in a solid cause the solid object as a whole to vibrate?

Question

We are told that atoms and molecules vibrate microscopically in a solid. Does that mean the solid object as a whole vibrates, for instance, a nightstand or table?

Answer 1

Because the vibrations due to the atoms and molecules in a solid are constrained by forces between the parts of the solid, they end up resulting in paired internal forces that cannot move the overall system. There can be movement (not net) when there are very few species that can result in center-of mass movement, but this is extremely unlikely with large numbers of particles. Each vibration of a molecule has a miniscule effect on the mass of the table - why we would say that the table doesn't vibrate from the sum of all the air particles slamming into the table at a thousand miles per hour - and those actually could affect the table as they exert external force See Brownian motion of pollen grain).

Well, that's my take.