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40 Examples of Matter

John Spacey, August 12, 2022

Matter is any physical entity that has mass and takes up space. This can be primarily contrasted with energy such as light, forces such as gravity and the dimension known as time. Other non-matter things are elements of the human experience such as thoughts or social constructs. The following are illustrative examples of matter.

Air	Animals
Antimatter	Atoms
Books	Chemicals
Clocks	Clouds
Computers	Data Storage Devices
Electrons	Elements (i.e. periodic table of the elements)
Fire	Food
Gases	Hadrons
Ice	Ions
Liquids	Machines
Metals	Molecules
Neutrons	Oxygen
Paintings	People
Planets	Plants
Plasma	Protons
Quarks	Rainbows
Robots	Rocks
Snow	Solids
Stars	Tools
Trees	Water

It is an odd myth that rainbows aren't matter. Rainbows are created by water vapor or mist and are analogous to clouds. They are very much physical. The light refracted by a rainbow isn't physical but the light reflected by any object isn't physical.

Fire is a visible chemical reaction that is physically composed of gases and hot solids. This is matter. The light and heat produced by a fire aren't matter. However, saying that this means fire isn't matter is like saying that human's aren't matter because the heat or sound we create isn't matter.

A clock is matter but time isn't.

Data is considered intangible but only exists on physical data storage devices. This is an important distinction as it maps to the question of whether AI, video games, digital media, software, digital services and digital experiences are based on the physical or are fully intangible.

Antimatter is viewed as a type of matter.

Things that are composed of matter can also have intangible aspects. For example, a human has numerous intangible qualities such as character traits or emotions.

Overview: Matter
Type	Things
Definition	Any physical entity that has mass and takes up space.
Also Known As	Tangible Thing Physical Thing
Opposite Of	Non-matter Intangible Things Energy
Related Concepts	Things » Time » Non Matter Things » Intangible »