is there anything called anti-matter? and does that exist?

Question

anti-matter is mentioned in Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons".

Answer 1

No one has ever collected any bits of anti-matter if that is what you mean, but according to Einsteins theory it must exist as everything has an opposite

Answer 2

In particle physics, antimatter extends the concept of the antiparticle to matter, wherin 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

I never read that book. As far as I know, standard matter is made up of protons (with a positive charge), neutrons ( with a neutral charge) and electrons (with a negative charge). It has been proven at least theoretically that a proton is actually a neutron and a second smaller particle called a positron (with a positive charge). Anti-matter is then matter made up of a nucleus with electrons and neutrons bonded into what is sometimes called a negatron which is being orbited by tiny positrons. the exact opposite of the composition of matter as we know it. Anti-matter was alleged to have been created in a laboratory some time ago, ,but I don't believe the experiment was either proven or repeated.

Answer 4

Anti-matter is made of atoms that have their protons and electrons charge reversed. Protons are negatively charged and electrons are positively charged.

If anti-matter comes close to matter, because of the opposing forces, they may both be converted into other particles with equal energy in accordance with Einstein's equation E = mc^2. This is a potential good source of energy. (As matter and anti-matter are made from energy). Anti-matter has been created in the lab and also believed to exist.

See wikipedia:antimatter for more.

Note for the user below: If you're copying and pasting a whole wikipedia article do have the courtesy to say that you used it as your resource. Don't pass it as your own work as this is plagiarism.

Answer 5

antimatter
Substance composed of elementary particles having the mass and electric charge of ordinary matter (such as electrons and protons) but for which the charge and related magnetic properties are opposite in sign. The existence of antimatter was posited by the electron theory of P.A.M. Dirac. In 1932 the positron (antielectron) was detected in cosmic rays, followed by the antiproton and the antineutron detected through the use of particle accelerators. Positrons, antiprotons, and antineutrons, collectively called antiparticles, are the antiparticles of electrons, protons, and neutrons, respectively. When matter and antimatter are in close proximity, annihilation occurs within a fraction of a second, releasing large amounts of energy.

Answer 6

yes- anti-matter actually exists.
But Dan Brown's theories aren't quite right. It's a book of fiction. Great story tho'

Answer 7

anti-matter is basically a opposite of each particle such as proton,neutron and electron.it's still a theory.in this theory the scientists believe that there may also be a whole universe formed of anti-matter or anti-particle which is complement to our universe...................

Answer 8

there is a possibility that there is a another universe as the anti matter of our universe as Einestaine said.and that antimatter balance the world.so ther is a possibility that there is a mirror image of evey matter in the world. but nobody knows where...

Answer 9

The artificial production of atoms of antimatter (specifically antihydrogen) first became a reality in the early 1990s.

Answer 10

anti-matter does exist. you can create it using particle accelerators, it doesn't last very long though. there is thought though that you can harness the anti-matter in a magnetic field