Knowra Matter (physics) Matter (physics) Matter is physical substance composed of particles, typically characterized by mass and spatial extent. In physics, it is distinguished from radiation and other forms of energy, though matter and energy can transform into each other.
Elementary particle : A particle with no known internal structure, such as an electron or quark. Elementary particles are the basic constituents of matter in the Standard Model.
Fundamental interaction : One of four basic forces: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong interaction, or the weak interaction. These interactions govern how matter particles affect one another.
Standard Model : The theory describing known elementary particles and three fundamental interactions, excluding gravity. It classifies the particles that make up known forms of matter.
Baryogenesis : A proposed set of processes that could have produced the universe's excess of matter over antimatter. The observed matter surplus requires an explanation beyond the near symmetry of known particle physics.
Quark : A fundamental particle that combines with other quarks to form hadrons, including protons and neutrons. Quarks build the nuclei found in ordinary atomic matter.
Higgs mechanism : The process by which the Higgs field gives mass to elementary particles that couple to it. It explains the origin of mass for quarks and charged leptons, but not most proton mass.
Condensed matter physics : The study of the physical properties of condensed phases, especially solids and liquids. It explains how large collections of matter produce collective properties such as conductivity.
Dark matter problem : The discrepancy between gravitational observations and the amount of visible matter in the universe. It indicates that most cosmic matter has not been identified.
Lepton : A family of fundamental particles that includes electrons and neutrinos. Electrons are leptons and occupy the regions surrounding atomic nuclei.
Strong interaction : The fundamental interaction that binds quarks and, residually, protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei. It confines quarks and supplies most of the mass of ordinary matter.
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