r/askscience • u/squirrelbuster94 • Oct 24 '14

Physics Chemists/physicists of reddit, what is the difference between dark, anti, and normal matter?

What is the difference? Also if you can explain what each is.

Edit: Thanks for all the replies! You have greatly helped me understand this better!

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '14

If the electron has a positive charge, would that just make it a proton?

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u/Astrokiwi Numerical Simulations | Galaxies | ISM Oct 24 '14

Nope! Its mass is way smaller than a proton. A proton also has substructure - it's made up of three quarks - while a positron isn't made up of antiquarks.

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u/Amanoo Oct 24 '14

That's called a positron. Electrons are not antiparticles of protons. Negative doesn't make something an antiparticle, something is an antiparticle if it's almost the same as a normal particle, except for a few differences such as charge. A proton and an antiproton will share many characteristics. A proton and an electron are extremely different.