Media: Carl D. Anderson (1905–1991) - Anderson, Carl D. (1933). "The Positive
Electron". Physical Review 43 (6): 491–494. DOI:10.1103/PhysRev.43.491.
Short Definition:
Antimatter is a type of matter which takes on exactly reverse properties to normal matter,
considering charge, parity and time in a symmetric matter. Properties such as
mass and acceleration are the same to regular matter, even though some are
exactly opposite. Where in normal matter electrons have negative charge,
antimatter has its own 'positrons' which behave the same as electrons but are
positively charged.
Detailed Definition:
Antimatter is a type of matter which has certain properties flipped. As matter is
all around us and is a building block of our universe, antimatter also has a place
in our universe. This type of matter has an obvious relation with regular matter.
When the two come into contact, they are both annihilated and turn into pure
energy. Antimatter has been in our universe since the beginning according to
the Big Bang theory. There is far less antimatter in the universe than regular
matter, but it constantly gets created through radiation, decay and even
lightnings, to shortly after being destroyed by contact with electrons. Antimatter
is a well-defined concept in physics and is used in medical PET (Positron
emission tomography) scans to form images of our bodies. The term is
connected to many other concepts with 'anti-' prefix, as Antimatter is a general
concept describing particles with inverse properties to the regular ones.
Etymology:
The prefix 'anti' from Greek, meaning 'something opposite' and 'matter' from
Anglo-French 'materie' meaning 'a substance'.
Sample Sentence(s):
1. At CERN, physicists make antimatter to study in experiments. The starting
point is the Antiproton Decelerator, which slows down antiprotons so that
physicists can investigate their properties.
2. Antimatter and regular matter annihilate each other at contact into pure
energy.
