Matter

Matter is a substance that has inertia and occupies physical space. According to modern physics, matter consists of various types of particles, each with mass and size. The most familiar examples of material particles are the electron, the proton and the neutron. Combinations of these particles form atoms, which in turn can be combined to produce molecules. Atoms and/or molecules can be combined to form solids, liquids, gases and plasma.

Overview

Matter is commonly said to exist in four states (or phases) — solid, liquid, gas and plasma — but there are many other states that can be achieved under extreme conditions, such as Bose–Einstein condensates, fermionic condensates, quark–gluon plasma, and the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic states of magnetic materials. All these states are collectively known as the states of matter.

Properties

Matter has several fundamental properties. These include mass, volume, and the number of particles. The understanding of these properties is essential to the study of physics and chemistry.

Classification

Matter can be classified into several categories based on its physical and chemical properties. These categories include pure substances and mixtures. Pure substances can be further classified into elements and compounds, while mixtures can be classified into homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures.

See also

• Antimatter
• Dark matter
• Energy
• Mass
• Particle physics

References

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Matter

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  Hydrogen discharge tube
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  Standard Model of Elementary Particles
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  Quark structure proton
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  Phase diagram for pure substance
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  Rotation curve (Milky Way)