As it decays, it emits a positron every once in a while. There are also a couple of other sources of occasional positrons: bananas and you! Both bananas and human beings contain minute quantities of potassium-40, which is a naturally-occurring isotope of potassium. For example, cosmic rays from outer space bring antimatter particles into Earth's atmosphere on a regular, ongoing basis. Tiny bits of antimatter are around us much of the time. Particle decelerators can also be used to capture and slow down antimatter particles for in-depth study by scientists. Using particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, scientists can cause collisions between atoms at extremely high speeds, resulting in the creation of particles of antimatter. However, it's rare in the modern universe and scientists don't know why.Īntimatter can be created by scientists today. We come across regular matter everyday, but where is antimatter? Scientists believe it was created alongside regular matter just after the beginning of the universe.
Likewise, antiprotons have a negative charge but act like protons.
For example, anti-electrons, also known as positrons, behave just like electrons, except they have a positive charge. Regular atoms are composed of regular subatomic particles, such as protons, neutrons, and electrons.Īntimatter, on the other hand, is composed of subatomic particles that have the opposite charge and spin of regular subatomic particles. Regular matter is made up of regular atoms. That's exactly what antimatter is! It's the opposite of regular matter. Could there really be something in the universe that's the opposite of the matter that makes up us and everything around us? This may puzzle you if you're familiar with the meaning of the "anti-" prefix. If you're a fan of science, you might have run across another "anti-" word: antimatter. Antibacterial soap fights against harmful bacteria. Antifreeze is a fluid you put in a vehicle's engine to keep fluids from freezing. For example, protesters who don't like war are often called antiwar protesters. You've probably come across the prefix "anti-" in other contexts. That's because the prefix "anti-" means " against" or " opposite of." If that's the case, you could say you're antihomework. In fact, you might actively dislike homework and wish it didn't exist.
How do you feel about homework? If you're like most kids, you might not be a big fan of homework.
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