Some particles, such as protons and electrons, have an 'anti' version. When a particle meets its anti-version they annihilate, releasing energy in accordance to their mass (with the famous E=mc^2 formula).
It's still a bit of a mystery why there was more matter than antimatter when the universe began.
Yes - you can measure the mass and electrical effect of a positron just like you can measure the mass and electrical effects of an electron (a positron is perfectly equivalent to an electron in all known ways except that it has positive charge instead of negative charge, so it would be repelled away by an atomic nucleus, and it would be attracted by an electron).
Each charged particle in the standard model has a corresponding anti-particle that is (as far as we know) identical to it in all ways except the sign of the charge. The electron has the anti-electron, also called the positron. Each kind of quark has a corresponding anti-quark, and these can form an anti-Proton. There are muons and anti-muons, tau and anti-tau, the plus and minus W bosons are each other's anti-particle.
There is nothing mysterious about anti-particles, they have all been observed directly, and they simply have the opposite electrical charge. The one thing we don't understand is why there seems to be so little antimatter in the universe, despite antimatter behaving identically to matter as long as the two don't meet. This could just be a fluke of the matter distribution in the early universe, but it could also indicate that there is a difference we don't know about.
What do you mean the electron was never directly observed or measured? It is perhaps the single most accurately measured object in the world. We know all measurable properties of an electron to a much better degree of accuracy than, say, the size of a chair. We can predict with much much much more accuracy what will happen if you fire a beam of electrons at something than if you fire a tennis ball cannon.
For the most obvious difference, if you apply two waves to the same chord with the same phase but opposite frequency, the result is a chord which doesn't move (destructive interference). If you collide an electron and a positron, the result is an explosion with the maximum possible energy for their mass (mc²).
Also, you can actually do the phase cancelation experiment with two electrons, as they can behave as waves, and you will get the same cancelation as you do with audio waves - except the net electrical field will be 0 instead of the string not moving.
The anti positron is literally the common electron. If you want to learn more about the subject I would recommend wikipedia, it has a lot of information about quantum mechanics.
Comments
Some particles, such as protons and electrons, have an 'anti' version. When a particle meets its anti-version they annihilate, releasing energy in accordance to their mass (with the famous E=mc^2 formula).
It's still a bit of a mystery why there was more matter than antimatter when the universe began.
It’s physically measured by an instrument?
Yes - you can measure the mass and electrical effect of a positron just like you can measure the mass and electrical effects of an electron (a positron is perfectly equivalent to an electron in all known ways except that it has positive charge instead of negative charge, so it would be repelled away by an atomic nucleus, and it would be attracted by an electron).
So there’s an anti positron that has been measured to exist?
Where do “anti” things exist?
It seems closer to phase cancellation than an anti-thing. Like two sine waves out of phase.
Each charged particle in the standard model has a corresponding anti-particle that is (as far as we know) identical to it in all ways except the sign of the charge. The electron has the anti-electron, also called the positron. Each kind of quark has a corresponding anti-quark, and these can form an anti-Proton. There are muons and anti-muons, tau and anti-tau, the plus and minus W bosons are each other's anti-particle.
There is nothing mysterious about anti-particles, they have all been observed directly, and they simply have the opposite electrical charge. The one thing we don't understand is why there seems to be so little antimatter in the universe, despite antimatter behaving identically to matter as long as the two don't meet. This could just be a fluke of the matter distribution in the early universe, but it could also indicate that there is a difference we don't know about.
It just gets a little, well, weird in ways beyond rationality. For instance: The electron has never been directly observed or measured.
Its makeup is inferred. So what is physics? The measurement of consistent imagination?
What do you mean the electron was never directly observed or measured? It is perhaps the single most accurately measured object in the world. We know all measurable properties of an electron to a much better degree of accuracy than, say, the size of a chair. We can predict with much much much more accuracy what will happen if you fire a beam of electrons at something than if you fire a tennis ball cannon.
It’s never been physically measured only indirectly that is to say it’s never been observed by any instrument physically.
It exists only by inference.
Is it not exactly like phase cancellation in audio engineering?
No, it is not.
For the most obvious difference, if you apply two waves to the same chord with the same phase but opposite frequency, the result is a chord which doesn't move (destructive interference). If you collide an electron and a positron, the result is an explosion with the maximum possible energy for their mass (mc²).
Also, you can actually do the phase cancelation experiment with two electrons, as they can behave as waves, and you will get the same cancelation as you do with audio waves - except the net electrical field will be 0 instead of the string not moving.
The anti positron is literally the common electron. If you want to learn more about the subject I would recommend wikipedia, it has a lot of information about quantum mechanics.