What is matter?

Question

Physics can very accurately describe the behavior of the elementary particles that make up matter, but doesn't really say WHAT they are. They're treated like mathematical points. Is there any way to describe just what particles -are-? Concentrated energy? Vacuum field fluctuations? Projections from higher dimensions?

Answer 1

Try this. Matter comprises those fundamental components of our universe (ie quarks and leptons) which have a rest mass, move at sub-light speeds and have a variable velocity. They experience the passage of time. Particles which have no rest mass always move at light speed and are not considered to be components of matter. They are also frozen in time.

Curious as to why describing matter in terms of energy would help. Do you have a definition of energy more fundamental than that of matter?


Edit: Regarding a few of the comments below, volume is not a property of the fundamental particles comprising matter. Particle experiments indicate they are point-like with no discernible diameter. AmigaJoe mentions this in his question. The volume part of material objects is created by the interplay of force-carrying particles between the fundamental particles.

Answer 2

In physics, matter is commonly defined as the substance of which physical objects are composed, not counting the contribution of various energy or force-fields, which are not usually considered to be matter per se (though they may contribute to the mass of objects). Matter constitutes much of the observable universe, although again, light is not ordinarily considered matter. Unfortunately, for scientific purposes, "matter" is somewhat loosely defined. Regarding this difficulties concerning the definition of "matter", V.I. Lenin in his work "Materialism and empiriocriticism" proposed to define "matter" as the objective reality, which is given in our senses and is reflected by them.

Answer 3

Enter the string theorists who say matter is made of vibrating strands or strings. And that if the Earth represented an atom a string would be the size of a tree. The series for you is called "The elegant universe"

Answer 4

I tend to think of matter as cold energy. Matter and energy are different manifestations of the same thing, whatever that is.

I bet you will get a really good answer from Dr. Michio Kaku.

Answer 5

Matter is a collection of particles that constitute a body.It has mass,volume,inertia,weight & density..

Answer 6

Matter is basically defined as "any thing which possess mass and occupies space".

Answer 7

Matter is nothing.I cant see a problem.

Answer 8

anything that has mass and occupies volume is matter.

Answer 9

matter is everything