What is anti-matter?

Answer 1

Anti matter is the opposite of matter. Therefore, one of the main characteristic you would look for is the opposite charge. The electron has a negative charge but its exact opposite(antimatter) has a positive charge. When antimatter and matter meet, they annihilate each other which is why antimatter is rare in our universe. For more answers or if you want to post or discuss astronomy and space topics please go to Astrowhiz on Yahoo Groups!

Answer 2

ANTI-MATTER:

In particle physics, antimatter is matter that is composed of the antiparticles of those that constitute normal matter. If a particle and its antiparticle come into contact with each other, the two annihilate; that is, they may both be converted into other particles with equal energy in accordance with Einstein's equation E = mc2. This gives rise to high-energy photons (gamma rays) or other particle–antiparticle pairs. The resulting particles are endowed with an amount of kinetic energy equal to the difference between the rest mass of the products of the annihilation and the rest mass of the original particle-antiparticle pair, which is often quite large.

Antimatter is not found naturally on Earth, except very briefly and in vanishingly small quantities (as the result of radioactive decay or cosmic rays). This is because antimatter which came to exist on Earth outside the confines of a suitable physics laboratory would almost instantly meet the ordinary matter that Earth is made of, and be annihilated. Antiparticles and some stable antimatter (such as antihydrogen) can be made in miniscule amounts, but not in enough quantity to do more than test a few of its theoretical properties.

There is considerable speculation both in science and science fiction as to why the observable universe is apparently almost entirely matter, whether other places are almost entirely antimatter instead, and what might be possible if antimatter could be harnessed, but at this time the apparent asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the visible universe is one of the great unsolved problems in physics. Possible processes by which it came about are explored in more detail under baryogenesis.

Answer 3

Positrons which are found in small quantities naturally are anti-electrons.

Scientists have also "made" some or some how "got some" in accelerators and places like that, but they have a very short half life.

It is possible the scientists are wrong and discovered something else. Maybe a new particle or part of a particle. But since it matches the profile for what an "anti" should be they call it that. I looks, like, acts like and tastes like an "anit" therefore it must be an "anti".

Anti-matter has only been found or "generated" in very small quanitites and only as particles. No one has yet made or discovered a complete "anti-atom" as far I am aware.

Answer 4

Simply put, anti-matter is the opposite of matter.

Here's a more technical, scientific answer:

Antimatter is matter that is composed of the antiparticles of those that constitute normal matter. If a particle and its antiparticle come into contact with each other, the two annihilate; that is, they may both be converted into other particles with equal energy in accordance with Einstein's equation E = mc2. This gives rise to high-energy photons (gamma rays) or other particle–antiparticle pairs. The resulting particles are endowed with an amount of kinetic energy equal to the difference between the rest mass of the products of the annihilation and the rest mass of the original particle-antiparticle pair, which is often quite large.

Antimatter is not found naturally on Earth, except very briefly and in vanishingly small quantities (as the result of radioactive decay or cosmic rays). This is because antimatter which came to exist on Earth outside the confines of a suitable physics laboratory would almost instantly meet the ordinary matter that Earth is made of, and be annihilated. Antiparticles and some stable antimatter (such as antihydrogen) can be made in miniscule amounts, but not in enough quantity to do more than test a few of its theoretical properties.

Answer 5

The universe began from a condition of no matter.
Immediately after the universe started there was an equal amount of matter and anti-matter: resultant zero. So there was nothing before the universe and nothing after it had started (albeit arranged as equal amounts of matter and anti-matter).
Very rapidly the matter and anti-matter recombined and annihilated, but, according to Big Bang theory, there was a reason why there was a tiny nett amount of matter remaining, this is what we see as the universe.

Answer 6

Scientists used to think that what we could see in space was all the matter that was out there. Then there were calculations based on electromagnetic vibrations that indicated that there was more matter that could not be seen.

This extra matter was named anti-matter and then scientists determined that there was just as much of it as there is matter, it just cannot be seen with the naked eye and it carries the opposite charge of it's related matter.

Answer 7

Recommending you to read Angel and Demon written by Dan Brown. It's a science fiction novel but I think you will find some basic information about anti-matter that is explained in a easy-reading way.

Answer 8

the exact opposite to a matter is called an anti-matter. for example, the anti matter of neutrino is called anti-neutino. Whenever a matter and an anti-matter combines, they annihilate to form two photons.

Answer 9

matter x anti-matter = energy

Answer 10

it is the opposite of regular matter, it is believed that antimatter shares the same physical properties of regular matter except that it has opposite charge so electrons are positive and protons are negative