Atoms and molecules can be named as matter.

Leptons and quarks combine to form atoms. Therefore, the matter is anything that does not contain antileptons and antiquarks. According to this definition, ordinary matter is anything that is composed of leptons and quarks. These are elementary particles of matter. In addition to using atoms, or protons, neutrons and electrons, we can define matter using leptons and quarks as well. However, modern quantum physics states that an atom can act as both a particle and as a wave we name this as wave-particle duality. The plasma state contains atoms, ions and free electrons that are removed from atoms to form the ions.Īn atom contains an atomic nucleus, which contains protons and neutrons along with some other subatomic particles, surrounded by a cloud of electrons.

However, another phase of matter is possible we name it as the plasma state. Matter can exist in different phases: solid phase, liquid phase, and gas phase. Moreover, energy phenomena such as light and sound are not considered as matter. The term matter does not include massless particles such as photons. However, we usually consider atom as the basic unit of matter. An atom is made up of subatomic particles. Matter is any substance that has a mass and a volume. Side by Side Comparison – Matter vs Antimatter in Tabular Form But, they have the same mass and other properties. For example, a proton has a positive charge, while an antiproton has a negative charge. That means all matter has its own antimatter, which has identical properties except for the electrical charge. However, scientists have found that matter comes in pairs. Things such as planets, stars, and people are made of mater, but there are also dark matter and dark energy we cannot detect easily. The key difference between matter and antimatter is that matter and antimatter have opposite electrical charges.

What is antimatter