What is anti matter?

Answer 1

Anti matter is matter identical to natural matter as we know it in every way except that its charges are opposite. An entire galaxy could be made out of anti matter and it could function the same exact way our galaxy functions. Anti matter is considered unstable because it will instantly destroy itself upon contact with natural matter. This reaction is considered 100% energy efficient (nuclear fission is 1.5% efficient).

Answer 2

Dear Wiki Questioner,

Matter is composed of three particles: Protons (positively charged), Neutrons (no charge) and Electrons(negatively charged). The protons and neutrons in an atom of matter are clustered together in the central nucleus and the electrons fly around in the electron shells surrounding the nucleus.

If we made an atom with Negatively charged Protons (called anti-protons) and Positively charged electrons (called anti-electrons, or 'positrons') we would have an atom of Antimatter!

When an atom of matter and an atom of anti matter are brought close to each other, they annihilate each other, producing an amount of energy calculable with Einstein's famous equation:

E=mc^2

Where 'E' is the energy released

'm' is the total mass of the matter and anti matter involved

and 'c' is the speed of light in a vacuum (which is about 3*10^8 meters per second)

The exciting thing about antimatter annihilation is that 100% of the mass involved is converted into energy. In a fusion reaction less than 1% of the mass involved is converted into energy, and in nuclear fission this figure can be even less. If just .5kilograms of antimatter reacted with .5kilograms of matter, we instantly have 9*10^16 Joules of energy! That's well over a THOUSAND times the energy released in the first atomic bombs, from about as much initial mass as a jug of water!

So you can see that if someone with malicious intent should get their hands on just a little bit of antimatter, they could make a bomb as powerful as a nuke that would be less than the size of a pinhead! But don't go getting any wild ideas, antimatter is extremely rare (which is actually one of the great mysteries of physics and cosmology). Powerful though it is, the sum total of all the antimatter that humans have ever laid their hands on in history is barely enough to power a small light bulb for an hour.

If you want to read more about antimatter, you can visit the following web page for additional information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter